Freedom's Chosen
by SlugSLinger
Summary: In one life Saito Hiraga was an unassuming boy living an ordinary life. In another, he was a legendary warrior who united his people and led them, and that of many others to achieve independence and freedom from the oppression of a corrupt nation. Guess which one Louise summons?
1. Arrival

_**A/N: This one is an experimental fic I'm starting. I haven't been doing much writing this past few months, so I'm going to need some time to get my bearings straight. I'll also need a beta reader to test-read any future chapters, so if you're interested, PM me.**_

_**I do not own the **_**Zero no Tsukaima_ series._**

_**Enjoy!**_

**Chapter One: Arrival**

The sun shone bright and warm in the skies above , the capital of Brittania. The port city's inhabitants were busily going through the motions of their daily existence, opening and shops and restaurants, selling and buying products, providing and accepting services. Children would run and laugh, playing their many made-up games in the streets and back alleys of the enormous city as adults looked on, wistful and often times lost in the nostalgia of their own childhood. The harbors too were a nexus of activity as ships of all sizes sailed in and out, men and women of many different colors and flags strode back and forth, hefting heavy loads of supplies to waiting carriages and airships. Offshore, in and above the waters of the Nitz bay, massive battleships patrolled its boundaries as trading ships and pleasure cruisers sailed past. Anglers perched on strategic points along the water's edge would watch on in awe as the many activities that drive Brittania's economy forward took place.

Overlooking all of this from its vantage point atop a cliff face was Castle Nitz, formerly a fortress built to protect the city from attacks by sea and air. The compound was massive, with walls of five foot thick stone bound together by mortar and runes, encased with Dragonite infused steel, creating a glimmering surface of smooth silver that could be seen for miles.

Guards patrolled the top and outer area of these walls as dragons and griffins sailed through the air above. Canons, some big enough to fit three fully grown men, were positioned strategically around the castle itself, with highly trained musketeers and gunners manning them for maximum offensive and defensive capabilities.

The compound had eight towers arranged in an octagonal configuration, each tower standing at least seven floors above ground level. The castle itself was quite large, with three entrance gates and two airship docks, one for guests and one for the personal use of the royal family, a large garden with exotic flower plants and a large pond in the center of it all, a small building which was the servant's quarters, and a relatively small field with horse stables built and carriages parked nearby for easier access. Inside the castle was a well decorated interior, with gold and silver painted chandeliers, expensive ornaments and furniture, 35 bedroom suites, 25 bathrooms, a dining hall, ballroom, an extensive library and many other things that any other royal would be properly entitled to.

But our story does not focus on all those. No, our story revolves around the black haired young man laying atop the roof of the castle's highest tower.

Humming a cheerful melody and basking in the midday sun and summer breeze, Saito Hiraga would, at a glance of his current behavior, be considered a rather rude and impolite individual who cares little for the deigns of people in possession of greater power. Despite his current position in the government, which many others would kill to have, Saito Hiraga did not act the part.

"_Saito!" _A faint voice called.

The young man stirred and rose to a sitting position. He stretched and yawned loudly, before peering over the edge of the roof with an inquisitive gaze to find the source of the voice that called him.

"_Get down here you idiot! The Queen wants to see you!"_ He scowled.

"So?! She sees me everyday! Give a hardworking soul some time off, would you?!"

"_Hardworking?!"_ the voice shouted back in disbelief. "_You slack off everyday! You haven't even touched the stack of papers from last Tuesday or submitted the work from last Friday!"_

"Your point?!"

A pregnant silence. "_Saito, I swear, if you don't come down right now, I'll shoot you with the Goliath!"_

That got Saito's attention, whose eyes widened and he rushed over to the edge and yelled his response, paling as he did. "You wouldn't dare!"

_"You want to find out?!"_

Grumbling, Saito stood and dusted himself. Really, was it too much to be left alone for a while? Must there _always_ be more work to do and deadlines to meet? Somehow, at some point on one of his many adventures, Saito suspected that he had, whether it was intentional or not, offended a god or two by doing the many things that made him into the person he was today.

With a resigned sigh, Saito walked to the edge… And stepped off.

He felt the wind's fierce howl in his ears, the world blur by and his body becoming weightless. The familiar sensation of adrenaline coursing through his veins filled his senses and, despite the animosity he felt for the person that awaited him on the ground, Saito smiled. Ah well, you take what you get.

Halfway down his descent, Saito shifted his weight and turned, back to the ground and facing the sky. A moment later, he landed. A wagon of hay conveniently placed so that it would break his fall and cushion the impact.

Saito removed himself from the cushioning and dusted himself. A loud smack of wood hitting a head rang across the courtyard as Saito reeled from the throbbing pain on his noggin.

"Ow! Damn it, Lucius, I told you not to hit me with that thing again!"

To Saito's left stood a scowling young man about his age, Lucius Amhein, with brown hair and brilliant green eyes. He wore a set of formalwear that emphasized the red pseudo-cape that covered his left side but left the other uncovered, exposing a business vest over a long sleeved shirt with a gold chain hanging from the side pocket.

And three holstered pistols.

Well two, as Lucius was hold one as a makeshift club.

"I will, if you start taking your job seriously!"

"Says the man who knits behind stacks of paperwork…"

"Hypocrite! And I had just finished signing those papers when I found you lazing around in the garden!"

"I wasn't lazing around! I was procrastinating."

"That has same meaning, you dimwit!" the other boy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't get paid enough for this. Anyway, like I said, Her Majesty wants to see you. She said something about a joint military exercise with Emmeria and Amestris and that emissaries from both countries will be coming here to finalize the date and venue." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "And since you are Her Majesty's main adviser _and_ Head of the Joint Military Council, your presence during that meeting is mandatory. Needed. Crucial. _Important._ If you are late by even one _minute_, then so help me Kaiser, I will shove my boot so far up your butt, you will taste the horse manure I stepped on this morning!"

Saito stared, eyes widening at the intensity of the emotions his friend put into the words.

Then they softened, and he rubbed Lucius' shoulder. "Amelia?"

Lucius slumped. "Amelia."

Saito nodded. He turned and walked, beckoning Lucius to follow him. "What'd she say this time?"

* * *

The morning was bright and cheerful as one strawberry blonde girl walked on through the halls of the Tristain Academy of Magic, books and rolls of parchment in hand. Her destination, the Familiar summoning grounds.

Today was meant to be a memorable day for the students of the Academy. The Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, a rite of passage for young mages all across Helgakenia. For when a mage reaches a certain age, they are to summon a familiar, one that would faithfully serve their master until their dying breath. For many mages, the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual was a chance to discover the true limits of their potential, find a companion that could provide a source of friendship and love…

And to show off their summoned creature.

Many a mage, especially those of young adolescence and noble lineage, consider the summoning ritual as an event that could grant them either a great amount of respect and fame, or mockery and pity from their peers, for the familiar represents the mage that summons it. Those that summon great, majestic beasts told in stories and myth are respected for the power and potential the familiar represents. Those that summon lower, more commonplace creatures are regarded as average. And those that summon poor, pathetic creatures would be seen as something of a low level, even talentless, practitioner of magic.

And those that fail to summon anything are _not_ considered mages.

The strawberry blonde girl halts her march and gazes out, into the academy grounds. Beautiful flowers and well kept plants of countless varieties dotted the courtyard and filled pots. Butterflies flew about and hung on flowers, drinking their sweet nectar, as birds flew in the sky and chirped their calls and songs from their perches and nests. The visage was beautiful.

_God,_ she prayed. _Please, let me cast this one spell right. Please, let summon something, anything._

She tore her eyes away from the sight and continued her march.

_I beg you._

* * *

The meeting had proceeded smoothly as all three sides were satisfied with the rules and conditions set. The day had been average for Saito, who now sat in his plush chair in his office located in the western portion of Castle Nitz, the window behind him showing a brilliant view of the city below and the setting sun in the horizon.

One would think that Saito would've been enjoying the view his window provided. That he would've swiveled his chair around to properly take in the beauty of a city slowly winding down for the coming night with a setting sun painting the sky with orange, red and yellow as the small patches of blue that remained were slowly engulfed by the darkness. One would've thought that, being a man who had achieved a fairly high position in his nation's government, he would've ended the day with something simple and easily overlooked by many.

One would've been wrong.

With his back against the beautiful visage, Saito's eyes narrowed as he took in information from a thick tome, 'the Way to Victory' it was titled. On the table before him were maps, open books and tomes, their contents were strategies, tactics, methodologies and descriptions of terrain, weather, plant life and even the composition of the soil of certain areas. A half empty cup of warm choco and a plate of biscuits lay unattended on one side, a stack of books on advanced spell casting and spells on the other.

Saito sighed and closed the tome, rubbing his temples as he did. Another joint exercise that needed planning. Great. Brilliant.

That was all he did now. Plan and strategize. Think and theorise. Never participating in _anything _remotely related to a battle or fight. Sure, there had been the occasional rogue who threatened peace between the Alliance and her allies, but those were rare. Not many could easily match his skill with pure power. No, all the strong ones had long since given up fighting him and decided to go into hiding or flee to other realms. They were cowards, yes, but cowards often do live longer that most.

Saito sighed. He wasn't meant to be put behind a desk to do paperwork, he was a soldier. He found meaning in the fires of battle, not signing papers.

"Saito?"

The young man shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice. In the doorway, with half her body leaning through, a beautiful blonde with eyes like rubies locked gazes with Saito. She smiled softly.

"My, you're still here? I thought you would've gone to your quarters by now."

Saito smiled briefly before clearing the work from his desk. "Shouldn't I be asking you that, Your Highness?"

The young woman giggled and strode in, wearing a blue dress with white floral lacing on the hem and sides. The young Queen of Brittania and current leader of the Alliance of Sovereign Nations. The person who had the resources, man power and trust of five nations that spanned across continents. She was beautiful, a fair ruler, held the love and favour of the people, didn't flaunt her wealth in front of others and didn't hesitate to correct any wrongs done by evil people.

She also bakes the meanest breads in the whole five realms. That alone was enough to sway Saito to her side of any argument.

The woman perched herself on the edge of Saito's desk, smiling softly. "You too hard, you know that?"

"Eh," Saito shrugged. "It can't be helped. You're still young and inexperienced. You need people like me and Lucius to help you manage everything."

"I know." She sighed "But it feels so wrong, delegating so much to you guys after everything you've done for everyone. For once, _I_ want to take responsibility for everything."

"You will in time, Your Highness. You just need to be patient."

"…Like Lucius?"

Saito chuckled. "Yes, exactly like Lucius, Your Highness."

She pouted. "Hey, none of that 'Your Highness' stuff. I told you to call me by my first name, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I don't feel like it."

The woman sighed and leapt off Saito's desk. "Alright then." She turned to face him. "But would you at least accompany me on a stroll out in the gardens? It's such a beautiful night and I really wouldn't want to let it go unnoticed."

Saito chuckled. "Sure. Anything for Her Highness. Just give me a few minutes to stretch and make myself a bit more comfortable."

The Brittanian ruler smiled and exited the office, giving the young man a moment to prepare.

Saito stood and stretched his limbs a bit, before walking over to an unassuming closet and opening its doors. Inside was an arsenal of weapons and tools, from swords to pistols, hand grenades to garrote strings, field medicine to poison tipped crossbolts, every conceivable weapon a single man could carry was stored away in that very closet, awaiting a time it would find use.

Methodically, Saito armed himself with the standard weapons load out he normally carried when he was assigned on a mission. Throwing daggers, hunting knives, flash and explosive bombs, a set of utility tools and devices, and last but not least, his favorite sword, Masamune.

With everything set, Saito pulled on his coat and turned to leave… And stopped

The young man didn't know why, but something felt… Lacking. He walked over to his desk and pulled open a drawer. From it, he pulled out a tough wooden box. He ran his coarse fingers over the smooth surface and opened it. Inside, countless pieces of paper and parchment, deeds to lands and homes he didn't even know he had, were scattered all around the interior. From that box, he removed a worn leather bound booklet, a handful of glistening gems, each tied to a length of string long enough to be placed around his neck and worn letter. One he had read and reread countless times in many restless nights.

With everything in place, Saito nodded and left his office to join his liege for another stroll in the gardens.

* * *

Another puff of smoke and another student received his or her familiar. It had been nothing but common creatures now, cats, dogs and even a frog in Montmorency's case.

Tabitha had, amazingly, managed to summon a dragon. A Founder-be-damned _dragon_. The tiny, quiet girl had summon a beast that represented power and mastery over one's element. The excited murmurs that assaulted her ears grew louder when Zerbst summoned a flame salamander. She may had been a Fire mages, but was she really that powerful to warrant a _salamander_ as a familiar?

Then that blasted skirt-chaser, Guiche, him and his damned rose wand. Doing so many unnecessary movements that she was certain the ritual wouldn't work. But it did and he got himself a familiar.

She consoled herself that his familiar was a useless, giant mole.

As everyone got about and chatted excitedly about their new familiars, the teacher in charge of the ceremony, Professor Jean Colbert, spoke.

"Alright, has everyone summoned their familiars?"

What? He hadn't been keeping count? Maybe she could slip out of this without having to suffer another explosion…

"Louise the Zero hasn't, Professor!"

The strawberry blonde, known now as Louise, shot a murderous glare in the general direction of where she heard the voice. Those in its way fidgeted in place.

"Oh yes, it would seem as though miss Valliere has yet to attempt the ritual. Come now, miss Valliere, it won't take too long."

"Yeah!" a fat boy from her class called. "It'll just explode, like always!"

The entire crowd burst into laughs and giggles, with the balding teacher attempting (and failing) to restore order. Louise ignore the jab like the many others that were sent her way. She was Louise de Blanc la Valliere, third daughter of Karin of the Heavy Wind, and childhood playmate of Henrietta of Tristain. Mere words would not dent her resolve or her determination. None could.

With her back straight and head held high, Louise strode in the centre of the field and began writing down the necessary runes required to successfully summon the most compatible familiar that matched her. One that perfectly matched her abilities and showed her just how much potential power or latent talent she really has. Personally though, Louise was hoping for a powerful familiar. A dragon, a griffin or a manticore like her mother, Karin. Something that would prove to her peers that she _was_ a mage. That she _was_ of noble descent and stood equally with them. That she was _something_ of a mage in their eyes and her own.

As she finished inscribing the last of the runes onto the circle, Louise stood back and double checked everything. This was the critical part, as with even a _single_ crooked line or misdrawn circle could lead to a disastrous rebound of willpower and could potentially kill the summoner.

Once she was absolutely _certain_ that everything was perfect, that every rune and word was drawn _exactly_ as the book showed, Louise took a deep breath and began her aria.

And prayed to the Founder Brimir to grant her success.

* * *

_I beg of you…_

Saito stopped mid stride and sentence. His body tensed and he crouched low, knees bent and ready to evade at a moment's notice. Faster than the human eye could blink, he drew Masamune, the sword's sharpened steel glistening in the dark like a string of ethereal silver.

"Did you hear that?" he hissed.

Beside him, his liege had also gotten into a battle stance. She was crouched low like him, daggerwand drawn and the aria for a Fireball spell teetering on her lips, held back only by the training she received from Amelia. She nodded and their eyes scanned the area around them, bodies tensing for an attack or a sudden spell.

_My slave who lives somewhere in the Universe!_

Before the two, a set of runes drawn in a circular pattern appeared as an ethereal portal of the same color materialized, beckoning them to enter.

"Guards!" Saito yelled. "There's an intruder!"

A chorus of armored boots greeted their ears as heavily armed men rushed to their sides, surrounding the mysterious object, weapons drawn. Above them, three griffins descended while two dragons circled high, their riders weapons pointed directly at the green object.

_Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!_

Saito grit his teeth as his grip on Masamune grew tighter. Whoever did this wasn't any ordinary mage. There was no sign of any elemental energies that usually accompanied spells when they are cast. Even high leveled sorcerers had trouble cast spells with pure magic that did not use any elemental energy. Even gravity modifying spells had a distinctive 'feel' to them, if Saito had to say. But the green thing in front of him and two dozen others wasn't a gravity modifying spell. Even if it was pulling him towards-

Oh_, crap._

With his left arm, Saito pushed his liege aside and into the sides of several guards. Just in time too, as he suddenly felt weightless and the ground beneath his feet disappear.

_I desire and here I plead from my heart!_

"Saito, NO!"

Immediately, five armored men lunged forward to stop their superior from plowing into the green thing. Three missed and fell face first to the ground. One tripped over the bodies of the first three. The last guard managed to leap over his four downed comrades and grabbed Saito's left hand, the other gripping Masamune with a white knuckled grip.

At this, another three guards grabbed hold of the guard and Saito and heaved. The downed four righted themselves and added their weight and strength to stop Saito's flight towards the green unknown.

Eight trained soldiers, fully grown men with above average strength engaged in a tug of war between them and a green thing, with Saito as the unwilling rope. Two forces heaved and pulled _hard, _the men to the point of them yelling in exertion and ejecting spittle. Their armored boots dug into the ground as the green thing's pull increased in power. Soon, more people joined in and added _their _weight and strength to the tug of war.

It wasn't enough.

The green thing jerked once, twice, and _pulled_ without moving. The force was so great, that the men and women that tried to hold Saito were sent flying. Saito screamed, in pain and anguish as his vision turned green. The last thing he heard, was his liege screaming his name at the top of her lungs.

_Answer to my guidance!_

* * *

The summoning circle shone an eerie green light as Louise poured her willpower into the spall. The book did say that the more willpower a mage poured into the spell, the higher the chances of them summoning a powerful familiar. And Louise _definitely_ wanted a powerful familiar.

Just then, the predictable happened.

The summoning circle exploded.

The shockwave was strong enough to send Louise sprawling on her back and the other students falling to their bums. Smoke and dust sprung upwards, into many eyes and throats. Familiars panicked and some hid behind their masters or, in some cases, stood before their masters protectively like Tabitha's wind dragon or Zerbst's salamander, both of which hissed at the sudden violent disturbance in their vicinity.

Louise, disorientated and confused, coughed and rubbed her eyes. The ringing in her ears was painful and annoying, but unfortunately, she had gone through worse. Like that time when she tried to levitate a brick, or that time when she attempted to conjure a pool of water. Nonetheless, Louise rubbed the last of the dust and tears out of her eyes and stood. Over the ringing of her ears, she could vaguely make out someone yelling something. Her name maybe? A warning or curses? She could hear well enough to understand.

But all that could wait until later, when she could hear again and when the damn ringing in her ears stopped.

Louise shook her head to rid herself of the remaining discomfort on her person and turned to face her familiar, waiting for the smoke and dust to settle down enough so that she…could…

Oh.

_Oh._

The smoke did clear and the dust did settle mere moments later, revealing a… surprising sight.

A man. She had summoned a _man._ A _human_. Dressed in what she presumed to be an armored, sleeveless great coat covered in small, overlapping metal plates that seemed to imitate a dragon's scaled hide, and an elaborate shoulder plate on his left shoulder. The man standing in the circle was crouched low, his sword, resembling a rapier but broader and curved, held reverse grip in a stance Louise had never seen or heard of. He wore shin and knee guards, fingerless leather gloves and iron gauntlets that held three sheathed knives each.

His arms were well defined, as though carved from stone, his hair was as black as the night, his face held no trace of baby fat of unwanted blemishes save for a few scars, his eyes were a lighter shade of blue, cold and focused like the steel of a frozen sword.

For one long moment, no one spoke, breathed or twitched. For one long moment, no one dared to break the silence that fell upon them like a lead weight. Then, the man moved, lowering his sword slightly, a gesture that lacked malice or ill intent, but wary and capable of untold things. He swept his gaze across the assembled students slowly, like a predator examining a live prey item, until they settled on Louise. And he spoke.

"Alright, where am I?"

**Chapter One, End.**

**_A/N: And that ends chapter one. How was it? Tell me what you think via review!_**

**_Next time:_**

**_A strange man in a strange world, in a strange situation, with countless questions flooding his mind and a strange weapon in his hands. Who is he? Where did he come from? And why does he seem vehement in trying to find a way back?_**


	2. Clarification

_**A/N: Not much to go around this time. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, but I don not proof read my stories. I do edit them though.**_

_**Also, the **_**Zero no Tsukaima**_** series is not mine. If it were, Saito would've been a badass and not some masochistic idiot.**_

**_Previously, on Freedom's Chosen:_**

**_For one long moment, no one spoke, breathed or twitched. For one long moment, no one dared to break the silence that fell upon them like a lead weight. Then, the man moved, lowering his sword slightly, a gesture that lacked malice or ill intent, but wary and capable of untold things. He swept his gaze across the assembled students slowly, like a predator examining a live prey item, until they settled on Louise. And he spoke._**

**_"Alright, where am I?"_**

**Chapter Two: Clarification**

"Alright, where am I?"

The students paled and Colbert's grip on his staff tightened. Behind his bespectacled gaze, his eyes alternated their sights between the pinkette and the armed man in the summoning circle. On one hand, Louise managed to successfully cast the familiar summoning ritual. On the other, she appeared to have summoned a man. A _human_. There have been no reports of anyone managing to summon a human as a familiar, not even one from the time of Brimir. This was a ground breaking breakthrough wrapped in one fine package. One the other hand, though…

Colbert was a Square class Fire mage, one of the best in Tristain. He could raze whole forests to the ground with one spell or melt the outer layers of a castle wall. Before taking up the teaching job at the Academy, he had served alongside Louise's mother, Karina Dizelin du Mayelliere, leader of the infamous Manticore Knights and famed bearer of the title 'Heavy Wind'. He had survived through many wars and committed so many atrocious acts that, by the view of humanity, would label him as a monster that needed to be put down. He had faith in his skill with the magic that brought him the runic name 'Flame Serpent'. He had years of experience and countless unmentionable accomplishments to back it up.

But this peculiar young man standing in the summoning circle… No, his wasn't any ordinary swordsman. He stood better, watched closer, and moved smoother than any swordsman Colbert had seen. Indeed, if he were to engage the boy in combat, he doubted he could afford to hold back.

Shaking away his surprise, Colbert cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Alright everyone, that's enough gawking around." He turned to Louise. "Miss Valliere, would you kindly finish the ritual?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the man said, raising his sword to a defensive position. "No one is finishing anything until I find out where I am and what's going on!"

The students immediately erupted into hushed whispers and wild accusations.

"Louise the Zero summoned a commoner? He doesn't look like one I've seen before."

"Yeah, I mean, look at his clothes! Maybe he's a mercenary?"

"And his hair, too. I don't think he's from Tristain."

"He doesn't look like an Albionese or Romalian. Maybe he's from northern Germania?"

"But look at his sword, though. It's so long."

"Is it a rapier or a broadsword?"

Colbert tapped his staff on a nearby rock. "Alright everyone, settle down! Settle down! You can continue your gossip elsewhere." He turned to Louise. "Miss Valliere, please, finish the ritual."

"Hold it!" the man slashed the ground before him, stopping Louise's advance and silencing the gossiping students. Colbert narrowed his eyes and readied a Fireball spell on the tip of his tongue. "I told you already, no one is finishing any sort of ritual until my questions are answered! And the first one is, where in the bloody Kaiser am I?!"

The gathered students burst out laughing.

"He doesn't even know where he is!"

"Perfect! A silly commoner for a silly mage!"

"He fits you well, Louise! A match made in heaven!"

The pinkette spun. "Shut up!" She screamed. "It was just a mistake! I didn't want to summon him in the first place!" she turned to Colbert, eyes brimming with tears. "Professor Colbert, please. Let me try again!"

The balding man shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, miss Valliere."

"Why not?"

"It is strictly forbidden. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is precisely what you just did. And besides, if I allow you to try the summoning again, then the being you had already summoned would be lost and may potentially die without supervision, and it also wouldn't be fair to the others."

"But I've never heard of taking a commoner as a familiar!"

The crowd of students burst laughing.

"That may be true, but as unorthodox as this may be, you cannot simply change the familiar once you have summoned it." Colbert gave the pinkette a pitying look. "Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to accept him as yours, so please continue the ritual."

"Alright, _that's it!"_

It happened in an instant. The man, standing mobile and compliant for the duration their exchange, blurred into motion. Had he not been a veteran battle oriented mage, Colbert would've missed what happened next as the man ran forward, sword raised, towards him.

In two seconds, the man closed the distance between them and swung his blade. Colbert leaned back and jumped away, intent on getting enough distance to prepare a biding spell. But the stranger leapt after him and _threw his sword_ as though it were a javelin. Colbert's eyes widened as his brought his sword to parry and knock the weapon away, only to find them widening even more as it punched through the reinforced, endowed steel cored staff and burying itself into his shoulder. The force of the impact sent him to the ground as the blade went through the other side of his shoulder and into the ground beneath him. The stranger landed on him a moment later, knocking the air from his lungs as a knife positioned itself at his throat.

"Certain people don't _like_ to be left in the dark, sir mage." he hissed. "I asked you a question, I want_ answers._ Tell me now, and I will not slit your throat. Understand?"

Colbert nodded dumbly as the stranger forced him to his feet. He idly noted that the sword in his shoulder had been removed and the stranger held the knife in a reverse grip.

"Now I'll ask one last time," he grit out. "_Where_ am I?"

"Tristain Magic Academy." Colbert said in one breath.

"And where is Tristain?"

"In Helgakenia."

The stranger hummed in thought. "Okay. And what ritual is going on here that required you to repeatedly ask the pink haired child to finish?"

"The Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual. She had accomplished the first part, bringing her familiar here, now she has to bind it to a contract."

Instantly, the knife was removed from Colbert's throat and he found himself stumbling as the stranger pushed him away. Colbert turned to attack, in case he went to repeat the same experience on one of his students, but blinked and fumbled to catch his staff when the stranger threw it to him. A look of dissatisfaction on his face.

"There, see? It wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"You filthy commoner!" one of the students shouted. "You stabbed Professor Colbert! How dare you!"

The stranger, who at some point sheathed his sword without him noticing, crossed his arms and smiled dryly. "Did I now?"

"Yes you did! We saw you do it! All of us!"

Words of agreement spread amongst the students. Louise looked like a pale, gaping fish.

"Really? Then professor mage," he turned to Colbert, who took a step back. "Is there a wound on your shoulder?"

Colbert was about to shout his affirmation, when he realized the fact that there was no pain. Colbert was no stranger to pain, as he had felt it many times over the course of his career though training, battles or accidents. So it would not be so surprising that, when Colbert felt no pain from the shoulder that he had been _certain _had stabbed through and through, he ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and examined himself.

There wasn't even a drop of blood. Both on himself _and _his clothes.

Colbert cast a surprised look towards the strange man that Louise had summoned. His mind raced through countless possibilities. Was he a mage? Did he use an instant healing spell? Did he use a potion or some sort of magic artefact? Colbert couldn't sense magic from him, so it had to have been a potion or something of that nature. What exactly, he wasn't sure.

But he'd find out.

"But… But we saw you-" the student from earlier said, but the man cut him off.

"Are you certain you did? Maybe the blade went through his clothes instead?" he sighed exasperatedly. "Not many people are fond of liars, boy. Be careful of what you say when you lack the evidence to support it. Some people may find it insulting to have their word tested against them. Do not repeat that mistake." He turned to Colbert. "Good sir, I'm afraid, I cannot remain here. I have duties that require attending back in my homeland and must return. So if you would be so kind to open a portal back to where I originated from, I will be eternally grateful."

Colbert shook his head. "I'm afraid that is not possible, sir. Once the mage has summoned you for the ritual, there is no way for you to go back to where it was you came from."

The stranger raised a brow. "Why is that?"

"Because of the magic that brought you here." Colbert elaborated. "The magic that drives that of the summoning ritual is mysterious and not easily understood by many mages. Even I, a professor and teacher of magic, do not comprehend the forces that allow the ritual to function as it does. And even if we did, it would not be easy to send you back to wherever it was you come from. For all I know, doing the summoning ritual in reverse could kill you _and_ the caster."

The stranger narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain of that?"

"Quite." Colbert replied.

"And if the duties that I needed to do were important?"

"Then you will not be able to do them." Colbert said simply. "I am sorry, but that is how it is."

"Surely, you jest."

"I assure sir, I am not jesting."

The man was silent for a moment. Before sighing heavily and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Eyes shut tight to ward off frustration and stress. Colbert didn't know what this man's duty or duties were, but he supposed he could relate to his plight, to some small extent. Sometimes he too had duties that he could not carry out due to thing that were beyond his control, but that was life. It never worked fair.

"So this binding ritual…" the man started again.

"Yes?" Colbert answered.

"You mentioned earlier that this Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual is divided into two parts. What are they?"

"Oh, well," Colbert cleared his throat. "The ritual is quite simple, really. The first part involves the mage drawing a summoning circle on the ground and summoning a beast that reflects themselves and the potential they have."

The man nodded. "And the second?"

"Once the beast has been summoned, the summoner will bind it to a lifelong contract of servitude and loyalty that is broken only when either the summoner or summoned dies."

The man fell silent for another long moment as he contemplated this slice of information. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "That girl," he pointed at Louise. "Summoned me," me point at himself. "to turn me into her glorified _slave?_"

Colbert thought about it and attempted to come up with a response that denied that claim. But he couldn't. The stranger was right, the branding of familiar runes upon a summoned familiar _was_ slavery.

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"No." the man said.

"Sir-"

"No."

"But-"

"Absolutely _not_." He glared at Colbert, and the man fidgeted under it. "I am a fully functional, fully capable human being, with the Kaiser given right to live free and unbound to _anyone_ like a piece of property. I am a man of my own free will and the only way for anyone to bind me into anything is to either chain me to a steel cross and break me under torture, or incapacitate me long enough to accomplish the binding."

"_FIREBALL!"_

At that precise moment, an explosion rang out through the clearing. The shockwave was strong enough to send Colbert staggering back a few steps as the spot where the summoned man once stood was covered by smoke and dust. He turned to the side to see Louise with her wand drawn and panting. Apparently, she had put a lot of willpower behind that spell if it was enough to make her pant. Either that, or she was letting out a bit of anger when she screamed the spell's name…

The smoke cleared and revealed a crater, with the summoned man's smoking body in the center. His eyes were glazed over and the front portion of his armored coat was blackened and cracked in several places, but it looked strong enough to remain functional for the time being. Perhaps a good smith could repair it…

Louise turned to Colbert and smiled tiredly. "My apologies, Professor." She said, her head bowing down. "It seems I have summoned a rather… Tenacious, familiar. I honestly didn't think a mere commoner would be so… um… What's the word? Hateful? Grudging?"

"More like dangerous…" A student snorted from within the crowd, spurring forth giggles and chuckles.

Colbert cleared his throat. "Regardless, I do believe we have stalled long enough. Miss Valliere?"

* * *

Louise Francoise de Blanc la Valliere nodded at Professor Colbert's words and strode into the crater, towards the downed man she had summoned. Honestly, a commoner of things. Why? Why did the Founder Brimir find it fair enough to provide her with a commoner as her chosen familiar being? Was it because of her inability to cast any spells properly? Was because of her small stature, in both size and ability, when compared to her peers? Was because of her reading-

She shook her head as a blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks. It wasn't her fault she found the book so interesting to read. Whoever the author was, he or she was brilliant.

But she put all other things in the back of her mind as she reached her downed summon. So it was to be a commoner then? An ordinary human being with nothing extraordinary or majestic that was actually worth noticing to anyone? Louise held back a bitter chuckle. Well, a familiar reflects the mage that summons them afterall.

"You should count yourself lucky," she said, watching as her soon-to-be familiar struggle to his knees, one hand on his temple as he tried to re-orientate himself. For some reason, Louise found the sight before her a bit sad. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a commoner."

Louise raised her wand. "My name is Louise Francoise de Blanc la Valliere. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; grant your blessings upon this humble being and make him my familiar."

She tapped her wand onto the man's forehead, who winced when contact was made. She closed her eyes tightly and, without a moment's hesitation, pressed her lips against his.

She pulled back and opened her eyes in time to see him scurry back, eyes wide in shock and mouth gaping.

Then he screamed.

He gripped his right hand until it bled as runes burned themselves into his skin. Louise watched in horror as the man before her writhed and tried to reign in his pained screams, managing to do so with no small degree of success. The burning on the man's hand intensified as smoke began to rise, and Louise pinched her nose as the smell of burnt human flesh stung her nostrils.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man stopped screaming as the runes ceased branding themselves into his hand and Louise released her grip on her nose when she was certain the horrible smell had dissipated. Internally, Louise snorted. Really, just how painful was it having familiar runes branded in one's skin? None of the other familiars thrashed in pain when their masters placed their runes on them. Perhaps the man she had summoned had a low tolerance to pain or something.

But still, to see him on the ground like that, screaming…

Perhaps she should apologize to him later.

Maybe.

* * *

Afterwards, Colbert catalogued the runes of each student's familiar and ordered them all to return to class. Louise, for all her pride and grandeur, watched on in envy as the rest of her peers took off with a simple levitation spell back to class. She would've followed them on foot, had it not been for the fact that her familiar was still struggling to stand from the crater he was in.

"Hurry up!" she cried. "We'll be late for class if you don't get up and move, familiar!"

The man in the crater growled and forced himself to stand, grimacing through clenched teeth as he struggled to walk out of the crater towards her and stumbling every few steps along the way.

Louise fought back the urge to help him. He was a familiar, and one of the Valliere family no less. Familiars of her family were strong and capable of handling themselves if needed be. She had personally seen her mother spar with her manticore on a few stray occasions and not once did the great beast touch the ground throughout the entirety of the match to catch its breath. If a mere manticore could stand up to her mother in a spar, then surely, her familiar could stand up to one of her explosive spells every now and then.

Granted, the great manticore could easily shrug off a Triangle level Lightning spell or two and her familiar was only a commoner, but still…

After a long minute, Louise's familiar reached the crater's rim, panting and sweating like a pig. Louise brought her hand to her nose. "Disgusting! A short trek up a crater and you're already out of breath and smell horrible!" Louise turned and marched off towards the Academy classrooms. "Go find the familiars stable and get yourself cleaned! I will not have a familiar of the Valliere family present itself so poorly to my peers. I will find after classes are over and bring you to my room tonight."

It may have been her imagination, but Louise felt an uncomfortable weight place itself in her stomach as she marched on towards the Academy, her new familiar hot in her heels.

A few hours later found Louise with her roughed up familiar, now looking less dazed and smelled less sweaty than he did earlier that day, but she could care less. A commoner was still a commoner no matter where they came from or what duties they had. There were plenty more out there that could replace the ones that were not suitable for the task.

It wasn't as though they would revolt and pick up arms. If they did, then they would be slaughtered like pigs. It had happened before.

Now, as the sun began dropping down below the horizon and day turned to night, Louise led her familiar to her quarters in the girl's dorms. It was a well decorated chamber, with a sturdy candle lit desk on one side, a closet nestled in a corner and a luxury bed with fine silk sheets and covers. Louise entered through the door, frowning and brow creased in frustration. Her familiar came in soon after, looking tired and down right miserable as he closed the door behind him. Louise paid the man no heed as she laid down on her bed and went through the day's happenings.

"A commoner of all things. A commoner!" she grumbled. "I wanted a dragon, a griffin or a manticore. But _nooo,_ I had to have summoned a lowly commoner as my familiar! Why? What did I ever do to deserve this? I've been a good girl, I've been praying and keeping good grades. Why couldn't I have-"

The man cleared his throat. Louise glared.

"What is it commoner?"

"Pardon my _rudeness_," he said sarcastically. "But I do believe a bit of clarification is in order."

Louise groaned. "How stupid are you that you need clarification on the _obvious_?!"

"I'll let that slide because you don't know who I am," the man started. "As for your question, I am not from here."

Louise blinked. "From Tristain?"

"From Helgakenia."

Silence. Then Louise threw her pillow at him.

"You lying familiar! Don't spout such ridiculous tales!"

"Now why would I lie about something true?"

"Because it's ridiculous!" Louise threw another pillow. "How could anyone _not_ be from Helgakenia? That's stupid! You should say that you don't come from _Tristain!_ A _country!_ Not a _world!_"

"That's what I said! I'm not from this world!" the man defended, but Louise waved him off. She had enough of his stupidity for one day, and she was tired. She needed her sleep.

"Alright, that's enough of that, familiar." The pinkette sighed tiredly and stood from her bed. "If you are going to keep telling me lies, then there is no need for you to speak any longer."

She strode over to her closet and began undressing herself.

"Sweet Kaiser above, what are you _doing?!"_ the man cried. "Have you no modesty as to change in front of a man?!"

"You are not a man!" Louise said, as though she was stating the obvious. "You are a familiar! That puts you beneath even common servants! Therefore, there is no need to worry about preserving my modesty, seeing as there is no man here to be embarrassed about!"

Louise threw her panties over her shoulder, taking a smiling at the audible 'bleh!' her familiar made.

Louise slid herself into her nightgown and fell into the bed, sighing in contentment.

"You know," her familiar stated, though she could not see him. "I am tempted to slit your throat as soon as you're asleep, but I can't seem to move my hand to draw my sword."

Louise laughed into her pillow. Really now, her familiar thought that he could kill her? The Master? Ooh, he was due for a rather nasty surprise.

"Of course you can't! Those runes make the familiar obedient to the summoner and prevent them from doing harm to them!" Louise rested her chin on the pillow, looking entirely too smug for her familiar's liking. "Like Professor Colbert said, the familiar is bound to the master via a contract of servitude and loyalty. So in other words…" Louise paused, savouring the twitching eyebrow and hands. "_You,_ good sir, are my _plaything." _

Both fell silent at the end of the explanation. Louise looked smug and happy, satisfied that she had taught her familiar how superior she was as the mage and his master. Her familiar though…

If one had ever seen a person try so hard to hold down the overwhelming urge to literally _strangle_ a person that they hated with every fibre of their soul, then one could easily picture the man's expression.

"Alright then, _master_," he grit out and Louise smiled happily. "What chores would have this lowly _commoner_ do for the night while you sleep comfortably under those warm sheets?"

Louise made a show of humming in thought as she wrapped herself with the silk covers. "Well, there is a basket of clothes that require washing. Go find a member of the castle help is you need to know where the scullery is. After you're finished, you may go and familiarize yourself with the castle grounds. Be sure to wake me at dawn tomorrow."

Louise watched as her familiar bowed and turned to leave her room, but stopped at the door.

"A question, _master,"_ he said. "Where will _I _be sleeping?"

Louise pointed at a small mound of hay in corner of her room.

The man's smile was strained. "Alright then. Thank you for answering."

The door closed, and Louise laughed. Oh, how good it felt to be the one in control.

* * *

Words could not describe the pure, unfiltered _rage _Saito was feeling at the moment. How dare she? That smug little brat! Damn her and this land's magic! To think that a _child_ could act so… So _spoiled_ and _arrogant_… She had to of nobility, she had to be! No child in their right mind would treat their elders with such blatant disrespect and flippancy as she did. At least, no child he heard of until now.

Did the girl even notice his clothes? The armored coat and the sword? Really, how _unnoticeable_ were his things?

And the strange runes on his hand. They weren't like any he had seen before. There were no symmetrical lines, no pulses of magic or anything similar. But when he tried to draw a knife and kill the pinkette for belittling him, he found his arms unable to move. As though they were weighed down by heavy stones.

Then he remembered how these runes got on him in the first place and he wanted to kick himself.

He let his guard down for just one moment and got hit with some sort of concussive spell that literally drove him into the ground, and maybe crack a rib or two, with a loud _boom_. Saito had experienced a fair share of explosions in his time, but after _surviving_ one that detonated on his chest, the young man suddenly found his respect for Khan rise. Of course, the man who was crazy enough to charge into explosions head-on deserved some large degree of respect.

Then the girl who had nearly turned him into a pile of freshly ground meat_,_ had kissed him. _Kissed_ him, for Kaiser's sake! She looked more like a child than a teenager and Saito himself had been in his early twenties already. He would not degrade himself to the point of allowing be romantically involved with a child! He had more self respect than that! He was just about to berate the girl for doing that to him, when the pain set in.

Blinding, unfiltered _agony_, the kind he had not been subjected to since the two years he spent rotting in that hellhole called Vorkuta in the Northern Plains, coursed through his veins. It was as though the burning whip of that accursed warden hit his back again, only this time it was everywhere _at once. _Agony he had thought he would no longer be subjected to, _anyone_ would no longer be subjected to, coursed through his veins and every fiber of his being for a long second. Then it stopped, and everything throbbed.

He could not feel his feet, his arms, his body or hear his mind think. But through the temporary ringing that robbed him of his hearing, he could feel his heart beating in his breast. So long as that kept beating, he would continue to live and fight through any obstacles life may throw at him. But for the moment, he'd have to find out _what in the bloody Kaiser_ had he been forced into, because he refused to believe that he had been forced into being a _slave_ to a horrible excuse for a child. More importantly, he had to find a way back to Brittania. If the people of his homeland could break the dimensional barrier with magic, then why couldn't the people of this one? The military training exercise would take place in a week's time, and he had to get back before then, which meant he had to go through this Academy's library.

He knew it couldn't contain the answers he was looking for, but if he could find any records of mysterious travelers or strange magic being used for any purpose by anyone, then that would be proof enough that there was a way. Sure, it didn't show _how_, but at least there _was_ one. Better to have some hope then none at all.

But first, he had to send these filthy clothes to the scullery. He could have just left them on the ground somewhere and let his pink haired summoner deal with it, but he was not that petty. He had his pride as Brittania's Silver Slasher, after all.

**_Chapter Two, End._**

_**A/N: Chapter two ends with that. As usual, feel free to review if you wish to point out any flaws or mistakes. Also, to clarify some things; no, Saito can't use magic. He was reading the book on advanced spells and casting for another reason.**_

_**Until next time folks!**_

_**Next time:**_

_**Beneath the illumination of two moons, a man's watchful gaze sweeps the sleeping school. In the darkness he contemplates and plans, all while keeping an eye on a particular blue haired mage and the winged beast she rides. **_


	3. Beneath Two Moons

**_A/N: Damn. 42 favs for only the first two chapters? Thanks everyone!_**

**Chapter Three: Beneath Two Moons**

**_Previously, on Freedom's Chosen:_**

**_But first, he had to send these filthy clothes to the scullery. He could have just left them on the ground somewhere and let his pink haired summoner deal with it, but he was not that petty. He had his pride as Brittania's Silver Slasher, after all. _**

Saito was becoming more and more irritated as he continued walking through yet _another_ damn hallway. Seriously, just how many hallways could a single castle have? For the better part of an hour now, the young man had been wandering the castle in the hopes of finding the damn scullery. And for the better part of an hour, the young man had tried to find someone, _anyone_, to ask for directions. So far, he had failed. Most likely due to the fact that because it was nighttime, both the students and servants were asleep.

Fantastic.

Saito shifted his grip on the laundry basket, sighing. This was getting him nowhere. Better try the ground floor then. At the very least, the servants would be quartered there so he could ask any that were still awake for directions.

It was after he had descended the stairwell did he hear voices in the hallway ahead. Saito sighed in relief. Finally, someone to show him the way! With swift steps, Saito made his way to the source of the voices, his desire for directions too much for him to bear, only to stop and scowl at the scene he arrived to.

A boy and a girl, standing in very close proximity to one another underneath the arch of a doorway. The boy, a blonde holding a rose, whispered sweet nothings into the ears of the smaller brunette, making her blush and giggle.

His scowl disappeared after her realized that the ones before him were children. This was young love, nothing more than a simple crush with a kiss or two in between. Had he known what it was like to be in love at such a young age, he would've smiled and left the two to their own devices. But he didn't have the luxury of experiencing love in his youth. He was too busy fighting to make time for it.

With a resigned sigh, Saito made to go around them quietly, when the boy's head snapped up and glared fiercely in Saito's direction.

"Who goes there?!" he challenged. Cute, Saito thought. If he had been a normal commoner, he would've been intimidated.

Saito walked into the torchlight, a frown on his face. "Just another person with business passing by."

The girl's eyes widened at Saito's sudden appearance, blushing slightly at the sight of his toned arms, and stepped closer to the boy, who seemed displeased. He probably thought they would've been the only ones here tonight. "Wait," the boy narrowed his eyes. "You're that commoner Louise the Zero summoned, aren't you?"

Saito raised a brow. Louise the Zero? He'd have to ask his summoner abut that. "Why would it matter to you if I was?"

"Then I wouldn't be surprised." The boy drawled out. "To think, that a member of the Valliere house would stoop so low as to hire a commoner to stand in as their familiar…"

"You think she hired me from the streets?" Saito asked, slightly offended by the accusation.

"Of course!" he said, as though stating the obvious. "How else could she have successfully cast a spell when so many of her other attempts failed so spectacularly?" the boy swished his wand to accentuate his point, a sight that made the girl behind him gasp in awe.

Saito narrowed his eyes. This boy… he didn't like him. "Who knows?" the young man stated carelessly. "Who cares? It's not like I do."

"How could you?" the blonde boy smirked. "You are just a commoner after all."

"Maybe I am." Saito glared at the boy. The smirk of arrogance. He hated it. "Maybe I'm not." Saito moved past them, but stopped some distance away. "By the way, perhaps you should find a more secluded place for your little rendezvous. I may not be the only one wandering the halls tonight. Imagine the embarrassment if someone were to find you by accident?"

The girl flushed a dark red and the boy clenched on his rose. "Why you-"

"Guiche," the girl said, embarrassed. "He's right. It's late and I'm tired. Let's leave and talk tomorrow."

"You're tired?" the boy asked with melodramatic concern. "My dear Katie, why didn't you say so earlier! Why if you fell ill because of my foolishness, I could never forgive myself! Such a beautiful rose should never be forced into standing out here in the cold! Come, let me walk you to your room."

The two turned and walked away, leaving Saito feeling dumbfounded. Thank heavens he wasn't like that in his childhood.

Saito sighed and resumed his trek to find the scullery. Though he failed to ask for the directions from the two lovebirds, he doubted if they knew where the facility was anyway. It was a known fact that many nobles of the old aristocracy did not familiarize themselves with the help. They considered the action to be below their proper statures.

Saito turned a corner and stopped abruptly when something collided with his body. Peering over the laundry basket, he saw a downed woman in a maid uniform, a member of the castle help no doubt, rubbing her bottom. Apparently, she had walked into him when they both turned around the corner.

"Oh, excuse me," Saito started, "I didn't see you there miss."

The woman was snapped out of her thoughts when Saito spoke and looked up at him. She paled slightly when she saw the man standing before her.

"I-I'm sorry milord," she stammered out, shielding her face. "I swear, I didn't see you!"

"Hey, calm down," Saito set aside the basket and knelt down in front of the panicked girl, hands raised in a placating manner. "It's alright. I'm not a noble."

The girl froze and peeked behind a gap between two fingers. "You aren't?"

Saito shook his head. The girl raised her eyes above her hands. "But you're clothes are…"

Saito blinked and looked down, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, these? This isn't some sort of formalwear." He said. "It's armor."

The girl, who had calmed down a bit after that tidbit of information, put her hands on her lap, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Armor?"

"Yes." Saito stood and extended his hand, which the girl took and hauled herself up gingerly. "I'm something of a soldier, so to speak."

"A soldier?!" the girl said, her eyes wide. "Oh wow. That must mean you've fought in battles have you?"

"Quite a few, actually." Saito smiled. "I'm Saito Hiraga, by the way."

The girl blinked and covered her mouth. "Good gracious, where are my manners? I'm Siesta. A pleasure to know your acquaintance."

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine." Saito said. "But really, I apologize for bumping into you earlier Miss Siesta."

"No, no, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." she smiled sheepishly. "I'm clumsy like that."

"Are you?" Saito chuckled.

"Yes…" Siesta looked over Saito's appearance. "So, where are you headed to, mister Hiraga?"

"Please, just Saito. Mister Hiraga sounds a bit too formal for my tastes." Saito picked up the laundry basket. "And as for your question, I was looking for the scullery."

"Really? I'm on my way there myself! Come, I'll show you." As the cheery maid marched off and Saito followed. His mood significantly brighter than it was earlier.

Awhile later, the two reached the scullery, a surprisingly large room with an array of tubs and sinks, drainage pipes and anything of the sort to wash the clothes and plates of the teachers and students of the academy. Several other servants were there as well, who all greeted Siesta warmly and watched Saito with interest, and slight suspicion. As Siesta started washing the clothes, she chatted to Saito about everything and anything she found interesting. Occasionally, Saito would ask questions about several matters like the nation he was in, Tristain, and the world it was founded on, Helgakenia. Without much effort, Saito managed to learn quite a bit about her. Apparently, the girl was quite the chatterbox.

She came from the small village of Tarbes in the southern part of Tristain. She was the fifth of nine farmer's children and had left seeking employ in the city, the thought of one less mouth for her family to feed the motivation for her decision. After she was hired by the academy, she would send back most of her earnings back home, leaving just enough for her to live off of.

"It's not that bad, really, working for the nobility." Siesta said as she washed clothes, Saito to her left as he worked on his share. "Most commoners don't even get the chance, so I'm grateful! Besides, the pay is good so I'm able to send some of my earnings home to help the family. We may have a lot of work, but that's fine, really. It's not that bothersome."

"Really?" Saito said quietly, and Siesta quickly changed subjects, talking about the wondrous sights of the academy; the great dining hall, the library, the Vestri court, the Founder's Chapel, the many shops and artisans in the capital and in her own village… Saito could see her trying to cover up a gap in her heart, a painful one he could tell, but he didn't have the right to pry. So he listened on with a polite smile, taking in as much information as he could, cracking a wry joke or two that made Siesta giggle.

After a while of talking, the young servant looked at Saito and smiled playfully. "So, Saito! Since you've heard quite enough about me, why don't _you_ tell me something about yourself?"

"Eager, eh?" Saito teased. "I knew you were up to something."

"Yes, I was," she replied sheepishly. "But it was for a good reason! You're a soldier, aren't you? You said it yourself! Couldn't you tell me about some of the wars you fought in?" her voice sounded too eager, and Saito had to stop himself from calling out on her childishness.

The young man smiled. "War is never a good thing to talk about Siesta. People die in them, and death is never a good thing." Seeing Sesta pout, Saito grinned. "Hey, don't give me that. I said I was _somewhat_ of a soldier, didn't I? I may have a tale or two you might like."

Siesta blinked and beamed. "Really? Like what?"

Saito made a show of humming to himself. "Perhaps the tale of when my friends and I…"

With that Saito launched into a long tirade on some of the many adventures he and his friends went on. From their journey to liberate the nation of Gracemania from the corrupt Darchman Empire, to the battles between them and the frozen undead hordes of Nefilhiem to rescue their beloved ruler who had been taken by an Ice Daemon, Saito spared no small expense in his large vocabulary to make every action and detail as accurate and grand as possible. He told Siesta of the lush Amestrisian forests and fields, the unmatched beauty of the lost city of Elysium, and even descriptions of the capital of his homeland.

It would be a long while later that Saito and Siesta would part ways, one to resume her duties as a maid and the other to ponder his net move.

* * *

Saito stood, alone and unmoving, atop the roof of the academy's tallest tower under the light of two moons as the cool night air blew and ruffled his coat. Arms crossed and eyes gazing off into the distance, Saito considered the options available to him.

Firstly, there were these runes. So long as these runes remained on his person, their influence and power would not allow him to return to his home, even if he did find a way back. He would have to find a way to overcome this limitation, and soon because he had no intention to remain a slave to the pink haired brat that almost _killed_ him. Nobility or not, _no one_ casts an explosive spell at him and goes off scot free. Not even Amelia and her Kaiser be damned experiments, despite her status as Brittania's most powerful mage and spell crafter, not even dared to cast an explosive spell at Saito for fear of her life.

Second, Saito had to examine the state of this country and its people. He had to know whether or not the nobility were treating its subjects properly and without prejudice. It did not sit well with him whenever he sees someone suffering. But judging from the blonde boy's tone of voice he used to speak to Saito and his pink haired summoner, Saito doubted the answer would've been a good one.

Thirdly, he should keep his actions to a minimum. He was alone here, for all he knew, and the risk of discovery held too many cons to be considered worthwhile. Yes, he could create a mana pulse by destroying one of the gems he had brought with him, but even that held too many unknown variables. Who's to say that there weren't any Darchman spies or anything similar nearby that would be drawn to the sudden release of mana? Despite this being a magic academy, he doubted that the bursts of mana that accompanied every spell cast by the students and teachers here to be enough to mask the one that would be generated when a gem of crystalized mana was shattered and its contents returning to its original form.

Lastly, was this realm itself. He hadn't heard of any realm called Helgakenia before. Not once in all his travels did he hear the name Helgakenia fall from anyone's mouth. This must've been a new world with new things to look at and examine. He could see it now, scholars and researchers coming in by the score, moving into lands and cities, looking up every little imaginable field of study there was and examining the many aspect of this world's magic. The ritual that brought him here, for one. That was a strange feeling, being sucked into a strange green portal and suddenly arriving at Kaiser knows where. If he could get the approval, perhaps a covert Alliance observatory team should be stationed here to see if the spell had brought anything else here.

Saito's eyes narrowed at the last one. The ritual his pink haired summoner performed brought him, a _human_ being, across time and space, here to a land he had not heard about. If he could have been brought here, what about something else? Say a ship or a castle?

If Saito recalled correctly, there had been reports of some of Lucius's experimental non-magic weaponry disappearing behind triple locked, enchanted doors of cast Dragonite five inches thick. He had a sneaking suspicion that something, or some_one_, in this realm was responsible for those disappearances, given the ability to use such summoning spells without constraint. Those weapons that Lucius had created were powerful and should _never_ be used by anyone, commoner or mage alike, unless given explicit permission from either himself or the Queen of Brittania. Saito dreaded to think if one of those weapons fell into the hands of someone as twisted as the former Emperor of Darchma.

Those goals were prioritized, but the _main priority_, the goal he had to reach no matter what, was to find a way back to Brittania. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but that was cost that came when planning a realistic course of action. It was almost certain that he would not be attending the military exercise taking place next week, and he would also most likely miss the grand unveiling of the AAV Unyielding Spirit, a ship he himself had helped design, and the test firing of its new 50 inch, anti-ship canon, a gun Lucius had affectionately named 'Wuffles'.

Seriously, the gun nut even had the name 'Wuffles' branded to the canon's side, in bright red paint.

Saito sighed and made a move to turn, when he caught sight of a large silhouette moving in the distance. His eyes strained and he managed to make out a pair of large wings on he back on the silhouette as it circle the academy. And was that lump on the dragon's back moving?

A dragon rider, Saito thought. Possibly one of the students of this academy. He recalled seeing a small girl with bright blue hair leading a blue scaled dragon towards the academy stables earlier that day, after he had been forcefully made to undergo the binding contract. She was most likely taking her companion out on a simple stroll on the skies above the academy. Granted, _flying_ would've been a more accurate description of what the girl was doing with her dragon, but still…

Well, Saito didn't want to disturb the girl's night with her steed. He raised an arm in greeting, and was pleased to receive _something,_ he couldn't see what in the dark, in return.

With that settled, Saito turned around fully to descend the tower…

And stopped.

He climbed Kaiser knew how many flights of stairs to get where he was now and he did _not_ want to exhaust himself by going down the stairs again.

So instead, Saito turned and walked to the edge of the roof and, smiling, leapt off.

The wind howled in his ears as his body became weightless and the ground rushed to meet him. Adrenaline flooded his veins and the world burst into color. Senses heightened and became hypersensitive to even the tiniest bit of stimuli.

How many times now did this make? Saito lost count after twenty.

Saito landed inside a cart of hay with a dull thump. For a few moments, Saito laid there, savoring the electrifying feel of the adrenaline as it slowly faded away. The young man found it strange, that some of the greatest feats he had done over the course of his life had ended with him in a pile of miscellaneous objects, from hay to cotton, even a wagon load of cats. He remembered one time when-

Strong winds suddenly blew the cart over, spilling its contents everywhere and depositing Saito on the ground. Rolling with the unexpected movement, Saito twisted his body to the side and stopped his roll in a crouch. He drew Masamune when he saw what the source of the disturbance was; a dragon. The same dragon that he saw flying above the castle's outskirts a few moments earlier, pumping its wings hard as though catching itself from a steep dive, straining to remain airborne barely a meter in front of him. Saito chanced a glance at its rider, a girl with disheveled blue hair holding onto the neck of her mount for dear life, who had an expression of pure shock and disbelief as she stared at Saito.

Did she just try to save him he he stepped of the edge?

The enormous winged reptile settled down carefully in front of the young man,but made no further move to attack or come closer. Only staring at him intently with glinting, intelligent eyes. Seeing no threat, Saito sheathed his weapon. He eyed the reptile warily. He had enough personal experience with dragons to tell him that the large maw most dragons possessed was strong enough to bite a man in two with a single snap. He knew _how_ to fight one, yes, but he lacked the proper equipment and manpower to guarantee victory.

There was a soft thump of leather shoes meeting the ground as the rider leapt off the beast's back, looking more composed now. She walked up to Saito, though her face showed no emotion, her white knuckled grip on her shepherd's crook was enough for the young man to discern that she was trying, admirably so, to withhold any emotion from showing onto her features.

"How?" she asked, voice a whisper and blue eyes questioning.

Saito regarded the rider before him, who barely reached up to his chest, keeping the winged beast in his field of vision. "How what?" he replied curtly.

"Survival." She said, in the same whispered voice she used earlier. "Magic?"

Saito snorted in contempt. "Magic? I need nothing of the sort to help me perform what can many others could do." He smiled at the diminutive girl. Just training, experience and a lot of skill. With those in hand, I can do almost anything."

"Commoner?" she asked, blinking once.

"Absolutely." Saito inclined his head slightly at her. "Saito Hiraga of Brittania. A pleasure knowing your acquaintance."

The girl made no bow or curtsy in response, only continuing to stare at the young man wordlessly. Saito began to shift uncomfortably beneath it.

"Well, young miss, I bid you goodnight." Saito said, inclined his head slightly again. "I'm afraid I must be going now, as I have an appointment to keep. By your leave." He spun on his heel and began walking briskly towards the building where his pink haired summoner's room was located in, feeling two pairs of eyes follow his movement. It wasn't as though he was afraid of the young girl's dragon (well, not much anyway…), it's just that, the girl's stare was a bit unnerving. Like how Khan would stare at him whenever he did something wrong and wouldn't admit to it.

"Wait," Saito heard and he stopped to regard the person behind him. "Tabitha."

"Is that your name?" Saito asked cautiously.

"Yes." She point her shepherd's crook at the dragon beside her. "Sylphid."

The beast nodded once, blue scales winking in the moonlight. Saito wasn't so surprised at the dragon's response. He had seen intelligent dragons comprehending, and speaking, human dialects and performing human acts like handshakes and smirking. He suspected that this dragon, Sylphid, could also possess human level intelligence.

Saito supposed that, if this girl had bothered to introduce herself and her steed then he wouldn't need to worry about her sending Sylphid to eat him.

The young man turned fully to face the two and gave them a more elegant bow. "A pleasure to meet you both." He smiled charmingly at the girl. "Perhaps we might see each other again tomorrow, yes? Until then, goodnight miss Tabitha."

The girl said nothing as Saito turned away and resumed his walk. She continued to stare at his back until he turned a corner, which she then remounted her steed and took off into the night sky.

Louise had summoned an interesting person as her familiar, she mused.

**Chapter Three, End.**

**_A/N: That's that for chapter three. Now, it's come to my attention that more than a few people were a bit disappointed that this Saito had become Louise's familiar. While I understand your feelings, it doesn't change the fact that what's done is done. In most ZnT fic I've read, a fair number of them have the main character (mostly Saito) bound as Louise's familiar. Though this happens, many of these stories receive a pretty decent reception among the site's resident ZnT readers._**

**_So yes, in this fic Saito will be Louise's familiar. But I suppose that would be the _****only ****_thing that remains unchanged from the anime and light novel(s?)._**

**_But I can guarantee that King Joseph won't be the main antagonist in this fic. Oh no, since you guys really want to see a change from canon, then the antagonist will be something far, _****far****_ worse._**

**_You'll see. Believe me, you will._**

**_Next time:_**

**_A new day dawns on the Tristain Magic Academy and the students are granted the day off to socialize with their familiars. However, tension rises between a rather insistent Louise and Saito's increasingly shortening fuse, and one student's foolish mistake shall introduce the academy students to the fury of a man who does not like to see mistreatment of the weak. _**


	4. The Next Day

_**A/N: Alright, let's get this chapter rolling!**_

**Chapter Four: The Next Day**

**_Previously, on Freedom's Chosen:_**

**_The girl said nothing as Saito turned away and resumed his walk. She continued to stare at his back until he turned a corner, which she then remounted her steed and took off into the night sky._**

**_Louise had summoned a rather interesting person as her familiar, she mused._**

"Summoner, wake up."

Louise groaned and hid her head beneath her pillow. The girl didn't want to wake up, she hadn't slept well last night as strange dreams, filled with fire and screams and men and women alike, kept her from sleeping peacefully. A rough hand touched her shoulder again and she threw it off, still drowsy and tired.

"Elenore, let me sleep in for a bit," she grumbled, snuggling into her sheets. "Ten more minutes…"

"Young miss, it's already dawn." The voice continued, now sounding a bit reproachful and annoyed. Someone shook her shoulder again. "Don't you have classes to attend? Aren't you going to get breakfast?"

Classes? Breakfast? …She wasn't at the family manor with Mother, Father and her sisters?

Louise rose from her covers, blinking and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Wait a moment – since when did Elenore had a _man's_ voice?

Louise screamed and fell out of bed in a mess of tangled sheets. She managed to free herself and stood, spotting a young man standing in the middle of her room wearing an armored sleeveless long coat and a sword strapped to his hip. "Finally," he muttered, both in relief and annoyance at once, "I thought you were never going to wake up. Really, what is wrong with today's children? Always lazing about, always finding excuses…"

"Who in the Founder are you?!" she yelled, trying to cover herself up as much as possible with the sheets and covers. She forgot the fact that she was wearing her nightclothes, though that small detail was lost upon her at the moment.

The man blinked at her. "It's me. Saito. Don't you remember?"

Louise did not, and that increased the horror she felt. What did she _do_ last night? "Why are you in my room?!"

The man threw up his arms and broke off into a string of curses, at least that's what Louise thought they were in the strange language he spoke, before fixing a deathly glare on her. "How in the Kaiser's name could you _forget?!_ I'm the poor sap who was forced to become your familiar after you hit me with a Kaiser be damned explosive spell! You sent me to do your dirty laundry last night!"

Louise blinked several times as her tiny intellect began to process that tidbit of information. Finally the proverbial light bulb flickered in her mind and her mouth formed a small 'O' in comprehension. Seeing this, the man tore off one of his fingerless gloves and showed her the back of his hand. "Here, _see?!_ Your Kaiser be damned runes! There, on my hand! Satisfied?!"

Louise studied the runes engraved into the man's hand. They seemed genuine. "So I really did summon you?"

"How many times must I repeat myself?" he asked, irritated. "_Yes, _you did! Now are you going to get breakfast, or are you just going to stare at me all day long?"

Louise's eyes traveled along the man's hand and up the toned muscles of his arms, to the broad shoulders and then to his armored chest. Despite the seemingly heavy article of armored cloth on his person, it seemed to be straining against the firm muscles of his chest and every breath he took. For a moment, she wondered if-

"Are done you done undressing me with your eyes, now?"

Louise spluttered and turned away, trying to hide the furious blush on her face. Really, it wasn't her fault she was born a female.

"Fine," she grumbled, making her way to her closet while keeping her eyes away from her familiar's. "Help me get dressed."

Her familiar gave her a flat look. "Really?"

"What?"

"You. A fully functioning human being, asking me to help you get dressed? Just how old are you?"

Louise glared at the man. "I'm seventeen."

"Seventeen, and she can barely dress herself." The man made a show of sighing and shaking his head. Louise felt insulted somehow. "Are you really that _childish_, or is it because you want a man to dress you?"

"Don't question my orders!" she spoke hotly and gave him a critical eye. "Besides, you are no man! You are my familiar, and that does not make you a man! It's as of I'd get embarrassed dressing in front of a dog!"

"…A dog, huh?" the man spoke silently, and Louise felt a shudder go down her spine. "Well, if I am a dog, as you so said, then I suppose this dog will be going to the dining hall and wait for you to get dressed. By your leave, _master_." He spat out the last word as though it were sullied bread and walked out the door.

"Get back in here!" she yelled, furious.

Her only reply was her familiar's imitation of a dog's bark and howl as he laughed uproariously.

Louise seethed and was half tempted to go after him and cast her brand of explosive spells at him until he was a red smear on the ground, but the thought of her running around the school in her nightclothes would be too embarrassing to her than it was to discipline her familiar.

Furious, Louise went to find her clothes and get dressed herself.

* * *

Saito chuckled as he strode over to the dining hall. The nerve of that girl! He didn't know whether to worry for her or to be amused by how she treated him. A dog? He had heard far worse derogatory names in the past and hearing Louise call him a dog was nothing new. The little lady had absolutely no idea who she was dealing with. But then, he too had to admit, neither did he. For all he knew, the pink haired girl's magic could level the entire academy and the surrounding area. The explosive spell she cast on him could be considered proof, but there was nothing too concrete enough to speculate about just yet.

For a moment, Saito briefly wondered if he had gotten himself lost again when his eyes found an open balcony. He grinned and one moment later, the academy roofs were the playgrounds of a black haired swordsman.

Saito's smile couldn't have been broader as he leapt from one rooftop to another, basking in the heat of the rising sun and the rush of the winds as he flew through it. His body felt lighter and faster as he scaled a wall and leapt off it, twisting his body at its apex height and landing in roll on the next rooftop. It was as though a dormant strength had been awakened inside of him, one he hadn't felt for _years,_ and he relished it. The power and energy coursing through his being. For a moment, he wondered if this strange strength came from the contract Louise had forcefully put him under yesterday. Then Saito spotted a ledge and grinned devilishly, the thought gone.

He leaps off the edge at a full tilt sprint, arms wide like an eagle taking flight. For moment, Saito sailed through the air, savoring the feel of adrenaline in his veins. Then gravity took over and pulled him down, the ground below rushing to meet him. Saito landed in a roll in the center of the courtyard, his feet skidding upon wet grass.

Saito stood fully and sighed contently. No matter how many times he does it, the thrill of executing death defying maneuvers never gets old.

It was only after Saito had finished patting a few errant pieces of grass did he notice the group of students standing and sitting in front of the entrance to the dining hall, looking absolutely shocked. Some were openly gaping at him while a few others whispered amongst themselves or pointing at him.

Saito met the gazes and cocked a brow. "What?"

His question broke them from their stupor and the students resumed their walk to the dining hall. Saito made his way to one of the supporting columns that held up the roof over the walkway that led to the dining hall and leaned on it, arms crossed with one leg propped up. Saito closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun as the that students walked past him threw occasional glances at him when they thought he wasn't looking, whispering behind held hands.

"_Is he a mercenary?"_

_"He has to be! No one but a mercenary would be capable of doing what he did earlier!"_

_"But look at his clothes, though. They're too aesthetic for any mercenary."_

_"Well, perhaps he's a mercenary that prioritizes aesthetics."_

_"Well, whatever he is, he doesn't seem to be sane…"_

Saito chuckled at that last one. Lucius had told him that many times in their many adventures, as did countless others, but he learned to live with it. Besides, what's life without a little insanity to make things interesting?

He herd two footsteps approach; one as quiet as a cat's paw on silk, the other heavy, firm yet fleeting as the same time. They both stopped in front of him. Saito didn't bother open his eyes. He had no business with such foolish 'nobles' but Louise.

"So you're the commoner that Valliere summoned?" a loud girl's voice asked, doubtful. "You don't exactly look like much."

Saito held back a sigh. Apparently, these nobles decided that they had some business with him. "And what would it matter to you what I look like?" he asked blandly. "I'm in no mood for your petty games. Go get your breakfast like the others; I'm waiting for my little summoner."

"_Ooh,_ there's fire in you, talking to a noble like that." The voice said approvingly. "Either you're incredibly proud or incredibly stupid."

Saito chuckle. "I've been called worse." He opened his eyes and looked at the most unlikely pair of women he had ever seen.

Saito recognized the diminutive dragon rider from last night immediately, though it seemed as if she was paying little attention to him, with her nose buried in a book. She ignored Saito, her dragon nowhere to be seen.

Tabitha's companion was her direct opposite; tall with an exotic skin tone, waist length fiery red hair, and was, er… _Gifted_. While Tabitha appeared distant and silent, her companion measured Saito with sparkling eyes and an amused smile playing on her lips.

The tall girl laughed and let a finger touch her lips coyly. "So then, commoner, how much is the Valliere brat paying you to keep this little charade up? Pretending to be her familiar?"

Saito gave the endowed girl before him a critical eye, his eyes, cold as steel, bore into her and she wilted beneath them. Then he ignored her completely and addressed Tabitha, smiling. "Good morning, young miss. I trust you slept well last night?"

The small girl looked up from her book and nodded once before returning to her book. Saito couldn't help but continue to ask. "And where is Sylphid at this hour?"

"Hunting." She replied blandly.

Saito nodded sagely. "Ah yes, that would make sense. Such a large animal would require a lot of sustenance to live."

Tabitha nodded.

"Hey, hey," the other girl grumbled. "don't leave me out of the conversation here!"

Saito looked at her oddly. "I don't think getting a one word answer is much of a conversation."

"With Tabitha here?" the girl laughed and winked at him. "You'd be surprised at how quiet she is! If she's talking to you already, you must have made quite the first impression on her!"

"Met last night." Tabitha said without looking up from her book.

"Really?" her friend was eager. "Do tell, what happened?"

"Talk." Tabitha answered.

The girl pouted. "You're never going to make new friends if you're so taciturn, Tabitha! You need to lighten up a bit, talk to people and make them _smile_! Don't you understand that? I've been telling you this for years, and yet you never listen!"

Tabitha ignored her and continued her reading. Her friend huffed and turned back to Saito, annoyed and muttering in a language he did not know. Saito watched her carefully. She seemed to be a bit more energetic and outgoing than her companion. He could see an interesting story behind how the two became friends, and he couldn't help but smile. Something about the two girls reminded him of his friendship with Lucius, but he could determine what. Maybe the playful banter they shared together?

"So how did the Valliere girl convince you to go along with pretending to be her familiar? Money?" the well endowed girl asked, lips smirking. "It's not worth it, I tell you. That girl is an absolute failure as a mage; you'll only embarrass yourself by associating with her."

"Really?" Saito asked, unconvinced.

"Familiar!" a shrill cry echoed from inside the dining hall. "Where are you?!"

"Out here, summoner!" Saito called back cheerfully. He saw the redheaded girl's expression change from amusement to exasperation as Louise walked into the courtyard, but quickly schooled her features into a more polite looking smile. The small pinkette, on the other hand, didn't bother to hide her dislike of the busty redhead as she approached the small group, face scowling.

There was a silent stare off as Louise glared at the redhead, who stared back at her uninterested. Louise turned away first, much to the redhead's apparent chagrin, and addressed Saito. "Familiar," she grit out. "When I give you an order, I expect you to follow it. Do you understand me?"

Saito cocked a brow. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't understand you." He said with a straight face. "I only speak Dog, remember?"

"Familiar, this is not a joke!" Louise said loudly, stomping her foot like a petulant child. "I'm trying to think of an appropriate punishment for your behavior."

Saito blinked and his hand touched the hilt of his sword. "Punishment?"

"Yes," Louise added, oblivious to how close she was with death. "I'm thinking of leaving you without food for a week, or would you rather be lashed twenty times with a whip?" she asked snippily.

Saito's hand dropped from his sword, and he smirked. If that was all she could think of, then there was noting to worry about. "So you would whip me like an animal, only because I refused to help you dress?"

"I fail to see how this is amusing for you." Louise hissed.

Saito's smile turn cold, like his eyes, as he kicked off the column and approached Louise. "No, little summoner. This is definitely not amusing. And if it is, then I assure you that I am not laughing. Not one bit." He crouched down so that their eyes were level with each other. "You see, little summoner, from where I come from, no one has the right to tell others what they _can_ and _can't_ do. Even those of nobility can only order someone so much until they break a law or two in place to protect those of the lower class."

Louise's eyes widened in shock. "Your homeland _protects_ those filthy oafs?! Why?!"

Saito shook his head in mock disappointment. "Despite being raised as a noble, you cannot see the implications of what you say. You disappoint me, Louise." He frowned. "And here I thought my summoner was an educated one."

"Don't you mock me commoner! What do you mean by that statement?!" Louise seethed, her limit of tolerance reaching its peak for the man before her.

"I do not need to explain something so _obvious_ to someone so ignorant." Saito said coldly. "The point of the matter is, that everyone has their limits to what can be done to them. I myself have them and you, Louise, are edging closer to it. And when that limit is pssed… Well," steely blue eyes met reddish brown and Louise shuddered at the coldness being directed to her. "Let's just say, no magic will protect you from the likes of me. Even bound, I am still capable of doing things, _horrible things_, to you and the people around you."

Louise forced a scoff. "You? What would a mere _commoner_ be capable of?"

Saito smiled and was pleased to see Louise turn pale. "You don't want to know."

The young man turned to the other two girls and inclined his head. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, miss Tabitha." he said politely. "And you as well, miss…"

The redhead snapped out of her musings and graciously held out her hand. "Zerbst." She said. "Kirche von Anhalt-Zerbst."

Saito took the offered hand and touched his lips to its back as a polite gesture. "A pleasure meeting you as well, young miss. I am Saito Hiraga, a wandering swordsman of proficient skill. And now, I wish you all a good day."

With his greetings delivered, Saito strode off in a measured pace, ignoring Louise.

"Familiar!" Louise yelled, not knowing what else to do. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Saito threw a cold glared over his shoulder at Louise. "My name is not 'Familiar', child. I am Saito Hiraga. Remember it. And I'd rather have the company of honest, hard-working men and women than that of spoiled, arrogant children."

When the young man disappeared from view, Kirche laughed aloud. "Well, well, Valliere," the Germanian crowed, delighted at Louise's misery. "Why is it that your familiar's disobedience at your commands not surprise me? It must shame him greatly to have been summoned by such an incompetent master. Or do you find satisfaction in torturing yourself and slandering your family name?"

"Shut up!" the strawberry blonde snarled as she made her way into the dining hall.

The other two, however, made no move to follow the seething girl as Tabitha continued to read her book and Kirche kept staring at the corner Saito disappeared behind.

"That was no commoner." Kirche said eventually. "No commoner would dare speak to a noble that way."

"Dangerous." Tabitha agreed.

"Dangerous? Where did you get that idea?"

"Sword." Tabitha said, not looking up from her book. "Eyes."

"Alright, alright, the sword was a bit of a giveaway, but his eyes, though?" Kirche questioned. "Did you see it in his eyes?"

Tabitha started walking to the dining hall, leaving a pouting Kirche.

"Tabitha! Don't be like that! Tell me!" she ran after the girl. "Come on, I want to know!"

* * *

Locating the kitchens wasn't too difficult. Saito knew from experience that nobility preferred their food hot, so logically the kitchens wouldn't be too far from the dining hall itself. Even before Saito caught sight of the relatively small and unassuming building, the aroma of deliciously cooked meals filled his nostrils and tugged him along to their origin. Saito approached the building, mindful of the flow of servants that came and went with carts loaded with pots of soup and plate of steaming legs of lamb. The mere sight of the food passing him by made his mouth water and stomach growl. Come to think of it, he wasn't able to catch dinner the night he was whisked away from his homeland.

Cautiously, Saito approached the door and opened it to a large room filled with smells, warmth and the ever present hubbub of the kitchen staff.

So entranced was Saito in his musings of the kitchen's interior, did he not notice the person carrying something heavy that almost ran him over.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you!"

Saito smiled as he recognized the voice. "No need for apologies, miss Siesta."

The maid blinked and smiled at him. "Mister Saito! What brings you here?"

Saito shrugged. "My littler summoner and I had a minor verbal altercation earlier. She seems to be quite displeased at my actions and has deemed me to be bereft of food for a week. A punishment, she so sys."

Siesta frowned. "That's terrible!"

Saito's stomach growled, audible even over the din of the bustling kitchen. "My stomach seems to agree." He smiled sheepishly.

The maid giggled and motioned him to follow her. "Come in! I'll get the cook to whip something up for you!'

Saito blinked. "You'd do that for me? Why?"

"Do I need a reason to help people in need?"

Saito blinked twice, and smiled. Apparently, kind hearted people still existed in the world after all. "You have my eternal gratitude, miss Siesta."

"Come in, then! No need to feel like a stranger mister Saito!" Siesta said cheerfully. "After me!"

The energetic maid wasted no time as she grabbed the young man by the wrist and dragged him into the controlled chaos that was the academy kitchens. Everywhere Saito looked, he saw kitchen hands and cooks cutting vegetables, watching over steaming pots of stew over flaming stoves, and the occasional servant bringing in a basket or two of ingredients and spices that were quickly distributed for use among the cooks. Everything was obscure by low hanging smoke, warm and smelled of cooking food and freshly baked bread. The kitchens reminded Saito of the bustling marketplace of the Brittanian capital, and he liked it. Even if he had to be careful as to not accidentally bowl someone over, he could honestly say he loved it here.

Saito was led efficiently through the massive kitchen and to a large fireplace at the other end, where logs three times the size of his arms burned and heated pots and pans of different sizes. In front stood a man easily a full head taller than Saito himself, arms packed with muscle and covered with hair, with a chef's hat over his head, sideburns and a beard framing his face. He stood close to the fireplace, shouting orders and yelling at cooks to pick up their pace.

Siesta stopped right in front of him and Saito had to stop himself before he bowled the two over accidentally. "Hey Marteau!" Siesta said cheerfully. "This is mister Saito! He's the one everyone's been talking about, the commoner that one of the students summoned. I invited him in when I saw him outside!" She shoved Saito in front of her and he locked eyes with the giant chef. A bit embarrassed that he got manhandled by the smaller sized woman.

Marteau laughed, a booming sound that echoed through the entire kitchen. "A familiar, eh? Well, I've got no trouble with the creatures summoned by noble folks, even if most of them are a bunch of stuck up pricks! Com'ere pal, let take a good look at ya! Servants to those noble bastards have to stick together!"

He gave Saito a bone crushing hug that nearly broke his ribs. But experience with Khan's powerful displays of affection had granted Saito's endurance a bit of a boost as he merely laughed and attempted not to wheeze. The cook then held him at arm's length and gave him a once over. "You're not from around here, are you? Where'd you hail from?"

"Far away, Mister Marteau." Saito spoke through a wheeze, trying to get his breath back in him. "A country named Brittania."

"Never heard of it!" the man said jovially. "A bit far from home, aren't you?"

Saito shrugged. This wasn't the first time he'd left Brittania and it wouldn't be the last. "It's not the first time I've left."

"If you say so." The man smiled. "If you have any trouble, then I'm sure our little Siesta here can help you." He winked mischievously. "From what she's told me, she seems to be quite taken with you! Aren't you Siesta?"

"Marteau!" Siesta blushed a fiery red and Saito couldn't help be laugh along with the large cook. "He came to get breakfast, not here you gossip!"

Marteau laughed and this time a few of the other servants grinned at Siesta. Obviously they overheard Marteau's rather loud jest and were enjoying the show. "Well, we servant's always gossip! Why else would you come to us for? Well, except for the damn food, that's for sure!" he clapped a large hand on Saito's back, sending him stumbling a few steps forward. "Sit yourself down, Saito; I'm sure I can get some scraps of food for you that they find too low class for their tastes! The nobles here have a lot of money flowing out of their asses, so I don't think they'd mind paying for an extra meal or two!"

Marteau was true to his word as a large bowl of vegetable chicken stew and a loaf of freshly baked bread soon found their way to Saito and his hungry stomach. It was a simple meal, yes, but the kind he needed after spending a day an a half going on an empty stomach. _And again,_ he thought wryly, _it pays to be nice to the help._

Saito watched from his table as the servants worked, trading jokes and light hearted jabs as they prepared breakfast, Marteau watching with a sharp eye so that everything went accordingly and without mistakes.

When he finished his modest meal, Saito stood and stopped a harried looking Siesta. "Is there anything I can help with?" he offered.

"You want to help?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course, it's the lest I could do after what you've done for me. But if you don't want me to, I could-"

"No, no, I was just surprised!" she cut in quickly, smiling. "Familiars are just like their masters; they usually don't help servants, you know!" she gestured towards a row of trays loaded with freshly baked breads and pastries. "Can you just help me move those to the dining hall?"

Saito grinned and nodded, glad to be able to help in any way he could.

* * *

Saito regretted asking to help Siesta as soon as he was tasked with distributing food in the dining hall.

No, regret was too strong a word. He didn't mind help Siesta-he enjoyed it, in fact- but he wished dearly that he could've done so in a manner that didn't put him in the same room as these young nobles, or rather, spoiled, arrogant brats with no sense of respect for the servant class. A part of him, the part that had been forged from blood and flame, had begged Saito to draw Masamune and slaughter the children where they sat. But then he reminded himself that these arrogant maggots were _children_. They'd learn, soon enough.

Or so he hoped.

As things were, they sat together in their little cliques, chatting and laughing, helping themselves to the food and drink the servants provided without even looking at them or thanking them for their work. As though they were furniture, a part of the scenery. Occasionally, one of the noble children would call out an order for some specific foodstuff or drink, and they would be promptly obeyed by one of the countless maids and kitchen hands standing in silent attendance.

The way they spoke ground on Saito's nerves. That arrogant expectation that they would be obeyed, no matter how rude they sounded or how dismissive they were. The arrogance of nobility, thinking themselves higher and more important than any mere 'commoner'. It was just like Brittania, Emmeria and many other countries before and during the Darchmanian occupation. It made him _sick_.

"Excuse me!" an obnoxiously loud voice called out. "Can I have one of those excellent looking pastries, my dear?"

Saito fought down the urge to strike down the fop where he sat as Siesta silently went to him and offered the tray of snacks for him to take. Saito narrowed his eyes when he recognized the blonde hair and frilly sleeve that stretched out to grab a pastry. It was the boy from last night that he encountered, who was he Gary? Gunther? No, wait, Guiche! Yes that's the one. The one he found courting a brown haired girl in the middle of the night.

But he saw no sign of the brunette anywhere near the boy as he continued to eat alongside his admirers. Perhaps the girl was seated at another table?

He felt someone tug on his coat and turned to meet eyes with the very girl he was thinking about.

"Excuse me, are you the man from last night?" she asked quietly. In her hands was a small paper bag with a pink bow attached. "Do you happen to know where Guiche's table is?"

Saito fought down a smirk. This could be interesting.

"Is Guiche a blonde boy wearing a frilly shirt?" She nodded timidly and Saito smiled reassuringly. "Then you're in luck; his table is right over there."

Saito pointed at the table with the blond fop and the girl beamed as she made her way over.

What followed next… Was hilarious.

As the small girl arrived at Guiche's table, a small argument broke out between him, a blonde girl with her hair done in drills and the small brunette that spoke to Saito earlier. Though he wasn't close enough to hear what was said, the actions the three arguing individuals were enough for him to properly guess on. Apparently, the blonde girl had been Guiche's initial lover and, from what he could pick up from the loud statement being made by her, his _fiancée_ and she was livid at what Guiche had done.

The smaller brunette on the other hand was devastated. The bag she had been holding crumpled in her trembling hands as tears spilled forth from her eyes. She had been played, it seemed, and she did not know why.

The argument between the three had caught the attention of the other tables as they turned to receive a better view of the spectacle unfolding before them. Saito noted a few of the girls had burst into tears and run off to _join_ the argument taking place.

In the end, the blonde boy was at the receiving end of six vicious slaps that turned half of his face red and blue and sent him tumbling to the ground. The gathered crowd of onlookers laughed at Guiche's misfortune at being caught red handed in cheating _six_ girls simultaneously.

Saito was about to return to the kitchen's and share this tale with Marteau when he heard the Guiche boy scream.

"You vulgar maid! How dare you!"

A slap rang in the air and the crowd ceased laughing.

Saito dropped his tray.

"You _dare_ sully my honor in front of six beautiful maidens?! You _dare_ slander my name with you filthy actions?! I should have you dead, you _whore!"_

"B-b-but I didn't do any-"

_"Silence!"_

Another slap and then the sound of muffled sobs.

"You are nothing but a shameless piece of _filth, _a _stain_ in the ground that which you stand upon! And for you to spread it onto my honor like that?!"

Another slap.

"I'll _kill_ you!"

But before any magic could be done or any spell could be cast, there was a flash of silver and the blonde boy was sent flying into a nearby table, which had already been vacated. The boy pulled himself to his feet as Saito stood before a bruised Siesta, sword drawn and eyes like steel. How he managed to get there without anyone noticing was anyone's guess, but they cared little about that at the moment.

"_Touch_ her again, and your life is forfeit."

Guiche rubbed his battered cheek with his sleeve. It came away bloodied. His shocked stare alternated between Saito and his bloodied sleeve before finally settling on Saito.

"You… You dare hit me?! A noble?!" the boy demanded. Saito didn't bat an eye as he helped Siesta to her feet, standing in front of her protectively. "Answer me commoner!"

"I have no obligation to answer to a worthless little _boy_ who got caught red handed trying to court multiple women at once." Saito said coldly. "Such an act is filthy and vulgar all on its own. Blaming someone else for your actions only makes it even _filthier_."

"You swine!" Guiche practically screamed. "Don't you dare insult me for her actions!"

"She did nothing wrong." Saito corrected. "The only guilty party here is_ you_, boy."

"What proof do you have of that, commoner?!"

Saito stared flatly at the boy before him. "You get into an argument with not one, but_ six_ young girls who had claimed that _you_ dated each other behind their backs. You get slapped by those six girls that expressed their _great_ dissatisfaction at your actions. _You _get humiliated for something _you_ did, and yet you cast that blame onto an innocent party?" Saito shook his head. "I wonder if your parents raised you to be like this, to blame others when the fault is clearly _yours_, and attempt to punish them for things they didn't do or did they _drop you_ as an infant?"

"Don't you _dare_ mock my family like that, you commoner!"

"Then _make _me stop." Saito held his sword in a reverse grip and bent his knees in a ready stance.

"_Fine!"_ Guiche spat. "I, Guiche de Gramont, third son of General Gramont, hereby _challenge _you to a duel of honor!"

"I accept." Saito replied coolly. "When and where do you wish to die?"

Guiche blinked in surprise at Saito's words, then huffed and slung his cape over his shoulders. "The Vestri Court in one hour's time! Don't be late, commoner!"

The blonde boy turned and strode off, followed closely by a large crowd of noble children, Saito glaring holes into his back all the while. Once they had left, the young man sheathed his sword and turned to Siesta, face scrunched up in worry.

The poor girl had fallen to her knees, crying as she held her bruised and battered face. The other servants, upon noticing the distinct lack of noble children to serve, rushed over to Siesta's side.

"Take her to the infirmary and get those bruises checked." Saito ordered.

"But the school infirmary is for students only!" a servant complained. "We can't bring her there even if she was dying!"

Saito frowned deeply. "Then do any of you know of any traditional remedies?" Saito asked, getting a few surprised looks and nods in return. "Then treat her with them. Tend to her bruises as soon as possible."

The servants nodded and quickly brought the crying maid away as a small hand gripped Saito's wrist and pulled _him_ away.

"You stupid familiar!" Louise hissed as she pulled him along. "Now look at what you've done! Come on, we need to hurry!"

Saito raised a brow and allowed his summoner to pull him along. "Where are we going?"

"To Guiche! If we apologize to him now, he might still forgive you!"

Saito halted and Louise almost jerked her arm out of its socket. She stared, shocked and wide eyed at Saito, who stared back angrily. "No." he said as he jerked his wrist free of Louise's grip.

"What?! Why?!" she asked, stunned. "Don't you know that Guiche is a noble?! Even with your sword, there is no way you could beat him!"

"I've faced tougher opponents than a mere _boy_." Saito growled and Louise stepped back involuntarily. "If he wants to die so _badly_ then so be it. He _dies._"

"No you idiot!" Louise screamed. "You'll be the one who dies, not Guiche! He'll crush you, grind you to dust under his heel! You don't stand a chance against-"

That was all Louise could get out before she was pinned to the wall, an arm holding her up by her collar as Saito glared balefully into Louise's eyes. For once, the pinkette could see it. Pure, unrestrained anger -no, _rage_- that turned his from cold to downright _icy_. She could feel her heart race, sweat roll down her temples and her knees quiver as Saito leaned in closer to the frightened girl.

"Listen here, _child_," he said. "I have put up with your nonsense for long enough and I have grown _sick_ of it. Of you, your nobility, your customs, _everything._ The blonde fool broke the last straw and I will _not_ apologize for doing something any other sane person would've done. If you wish to live to see another sunrise, you will listen to _me_." He brought her closer to his face and Louise shut her eyes tight. "You _will_ let me go and fight the boy. You _will_ stop treating me like an animal and a toy that you can play with and you _will_ _NOT_ stop me from doing whatever I wish to the boy."

He dropped Louise and continued to glare at her. "I have had enough of your rules. Let's see if your world can live up to _mine._"

With that, Saito left and marched on towards the direction of the Vestri court. Louise watched him leave with wide eyes and quivering lips. She was scared. By her familiar. How? A member of the Valliere house should _never_ have been frightened like that. No matter how terrifying a familiar was, no Valliere would be scared, for they were of steel. They followed the Rule of Steel. They may bend but they may not break.

With shaky legs and tear stained eyes, Louise stood and began stumbling to her room. If her familiar wanted to die, then so be it. It was his choice in the end and she could just summon another familiar if the worst _did_ come to fruition.

Oh, how wrong she was.

**Chapter Four, End.**

_**A/N: Whew! That took longer than expected. Still, 6k+ word for this chapter is pretty good if I do say so myself. Any flames and reviews are appreciated. It's 2 A.M where I'm at now, so don't be so surprised if you find the dialogue between Guiche and Saito and Louise and Saito a bit short. I'm sleepy, and I'll edit it when I'm fully awake.**_

_**So, goodnight.**_

_**Next Time:**_

_**A fool challenges death before his peers and pays dearly as death grins. Now, as the fool staves off time for the inevitable, the one he had betrayed attempts to find help. But even if she manages to succeed, it may already be too late. **_


	5. A Duel to Remember

_**A/N: Nothing to note for now, but be prepared for more sporadic updates.**_

_**That said, enjoy!**_

**Previously, on Freedom's Chosen:**

**_With shaky legs and tear stained eyes, Louise stood and began stumbling to her room. If her familiar wanted to die, then so be it. It was his choice in the end and she could just summon another familiar if the worst did come to fruition._**

**_Oh, how wrong she was._**

**Chapter Five: A Duel to Remember**

Saito examined the arena he had been brought to when the blonde fop had challenged him to a duel. It was a spacious clearing, with enough room to maneuver and preform any grand acts of battle, but also had nothing he could use to his advantage. There were no elevated positions he could climb, no crates, low walls or bushes he could use for cover, no stray objects he could use to distract his opponent. Saito never liked this sort of fair leveled fight, because there is no such thing as a fair fight. You used everything you had to defeat your opponent; be it deceit, tools or even themselves, if it could become an advantage to use against your opponent then it was fair game.

But Saito had fought in worse. He had succeeded before against impossible odds and opponents far more capable than his current foe, so couldn't he succeed against this boy?

"I commend you for not running away, commoner." The blonde fop declared, a dramatic toss of his cape spawning gasps of awe from the crowd. "Usually, most would have ran back to their filthy villages by now then to stand and fight against a noble."

"I don't see why they wouldn't," Saito shrugged, "Considering that their opponent was a two timing, skirt chasing boy who knows nothing on how to act like a proper gentleman, as he so claims."

The crowd laughed as Guiche's face turned red. "It seems you have no respect for those of nobility, commoner."

"Why would I, if all of this land's nobility are as you have set yourself to be?"

Guiche snarled. "Fine. I was, going to spare you mercy and keep your wounds to a minimum, but your actions leave me with no choice." The blonde waved his rose and a petal fell off. "My name is Guiche de Gramont son of the infamous General Gramont. My runic name is Guiche the Bronze. Therefore, your opponent shall be the golem of bronze, Valkyrie." And from the place where the rose petal had landed, a suit of armor sprouted.

Saito raised a hand. "Before this duel may continue further, I, as the one challenged, declare my right to set the rules of engagement."

Guiche blinked several times, clearly caught by surprise at his words, then he smirked. "What's this? Are trying to lessen the pain that will come, commoner? I'll tell you now, no rules set by your standard will affect the outcome of this duel."

"I know.' Saito replied casually. "I am merely following the proper rules of conduct for when a duel is made between two parties. It would be unbefitting of nobility to ignore this important part of a duel, wouldn't it boy?"

Guiche seethed for a moment and clicked his teeth. "Fine. State you rules, commoner."

Saito held up a fist. "The first rule," he raised a finger. "Is that for the duration of this duel, there will be no outside interference from either students or teachers." Guiche raised a brow as a second finger rose. "Second, for the duration of this duel, there will be no limit on what form of combat the participants may use, regardless of shape or meaning." Guiche narrowed his eyes as Saito's expression grew solemn and a third finger rose. "And finally, this duel will not be declared over until one of the participants has died. Do you accept?"

The crowd gasped and Guiche threw his head back to laugh. Saito merely stood and watched and gauged his opponent's reaction. Clearly, he did not take him seriously and is overestimating his abilities. If he played his cards right, then perhaps he could toy with the boy for a little while, then end him.

"I don't know whether to respect your bravery or to label you a fool. If anything, the rules you have set are favoring _me._ Should you not be concerned about your own well being?"

"I need not concern myself over the consequences of an opponent who underestimate's his foe and overestimates himself."

Guiche laughed again, followed by a few of the crowd. "You?" he questioned. "What's there to not _underestimate_ about you, commoner? I have magic, a sacred and noble power passed down from the Founder Brimir himself! You stand no chance against me, _commoner._"

"Do you accept the rules set or not?" Saito snapped. His patience was running thin as it was already.

"Yes, I accept." Guiche acknowledged, a coy smile on his lips. "Be prepared for you demise, commoner."

"We shall see." Saito bent his knees and drew his sword, the weapon hissing as its steel slid out from it's sheathe. "You may start whenever you wish."

Guiche smirked. "Let the execution begin!"

Gucihe waved his wand and the golem moved, arm cocked back as it prepared to land a crushing blow to Saito's diaphragm. The crowd looked on in anticipation as what looked like a coming slaughter grew closer to the coming climax. There was no way a commoner could stand up against a noble, not when they had practically declared their death spat upon their executioner like that. In the midst of the crowd, Kirche and Tabitha watched, one in resignation and the other in intense concentration. Tabitha had a nagging suspicion that the rules Saito had set up were favoring _him_.

The golem approached and swung its fist. The crowd gasped as the metal fist flew close…

And hit empty air.

To it's side was Saito, coat fluttering and arms a blur, as he brought his sword in a diagonal cut that split the golem in two at the stomach. The two empty halves of bronze armor fell to the ground, lifeless and dead.

For a moment, there was naught but silence in the court as the students processed what had happened.

"Well?" Saito asked casually. "Is that all you have to offer, boy?"

Guichea few times and paled. "T-that's i-i-i-impossible!" he shouted. "You're just a commoner!"

Saito said nothing as he advanced slowly. Guiche's skin grew paler and he summoned three more golems, these armed with a sword and shield, a mace and a halberd. The three constructs advanced and surrounded Saito, who reversed his grip on the sword and crouched low, saying nothing.

The sword wielding golem advanced from his right and swung its weapon. Saito moved-no, _blurred_, to the side and brought up his sword to deflect a thrust of another golem's halberd. The golem attempted to compensate for the sudden redirection of it's weapon, but Saito was already moving, his sword an arc of silver as it cut the weapon in half at its stick. The third golem saw its chance and lunged, mace already moving to crush Saito's head from behind. But the young man surprised his opponent and his audience again as he brought his armored right forearm and swatted the bludgeon away and delivered a powerful punch with the same limb to its face that sent the construct reeling and dented its face inwards. Saito brought his sword to his front again and blocked a slash from the sword wielding golem, retaliating with a crushing kick its left leg that bent it at a sickening angle.

The golem stumbled and Saito moved, his sword quickly reducing the bronze golem to pieces. The crowd gasped as the mace wielding golem recovered and swung its weapon again. Saito ducked low and steeped into the golem's guard. In a fraction of a second, Saito's sword flashed and the golem was cut in two from the crotch to its head. As the two separate pieces fell to the ground, the black haired swordsman turned to his opponent, Guiche. The boy, who had previously been spouting bravado and boasts, was now paler than a silken sheet. His mouth was agape and his eyes, once filled with so much pride and arrogance, now held an emotion Saito recognized all too well.

Fear.

It took everything Saito had within himself not to grin.

"…Is that it?" Saito asked, surprised. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. 'And here I thought you could provide me with some hint of a challenge. Then again…" Saito locked eyes with his opponent, and he flinched back. "It should be expected of little boys whose so called 'golems' are like _dolls._ No golem should've been moving that slowly without ample protection."

"W-w-what?" Guiche said.

"You heard me, _boy_." Saito spat. "Your golems are _pathetic._ _Weak. Useless_ in an actual battle. They're better off serving as mannequins than tools of war."

"How would you know anything about _golem making, _commoner?!" Guiche, despite fear and intimidation he felt for his foe, couldn't help but feel a bit _insulted_ that a mere commoner was insulting his work, _his_ bronze Valkyrie's.

"Why, it so happens I am in acquaintance of a talented mage who has an affinity in Earth and Water. His golems, though slow and cumbersome, are powerful and incredibly hard to destroy. They were impervious to even musket fire and low level Fire magic." Granted, Saito thought, Edward could only make three of those golem and control them at any one time, due to the insane amount of mana required to generate them, but the blonde didn't need to know that. "Compared to him, you are _nothing._"

The blonde boy blinked and fell silent. Then, teeth bared, he waved his wand and all the remaining petals fell off, spawning another seven.

"You have lived long enough, knave!" The construct held their weapons, an assortment of maces, pikes, swords and axes, ready. "Now you _die!_"

The constructs charged as one, a mass of bronze and weaponry towards one the man who had been deigned fit by their creator to be slain by their arms.

And Saito smiled. There was nothing playful about this expression. This smile was filled with only the promise of absolute malice, pain and death. A smile he had much time and subjects to practice on and perfect. Sword in hand, Saito charged, full tilt to meet his opponents.

Flesh and bronze constructs crashed in a flurry of limbs, steel and force that made many of those that watched gasp in awe. Overwhelming numbers against one skilled foe. Blade clashed against blade, sending sparks and sweat flying.

In the middle of this, one blonde with her hair done in curls turned and ran, seeking help.

* * *

Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency, known also as Montmorency the Fragrance, was angry. No, she was _furious_.

Guiche, her fiancée, had apparently been in the process of courting not one, but _five_ other girls. What's worse, she had to have found out about it when one of them visited Guiche to hand him a bag of baked goods after breakfast. How she did not see it, she did not want to know. But she did know that her feminine pride had been spat upon and had demanded recompense.

After proper a proper punishment had been delivered, she had excused herself to be alone for awhile. Then, she had heard of Guiche challenging a commoner to a duel. She sighed inwardly and pitied the poor fool he had just sentenced to death. It was fact that no commoner stood a chance against a noble. Swords and shields did little to stop an incoming Fireball spell after all.

But, seeing as she had little else to do at the moment, she decided to watch anyway. After Guiche had let out some steam on his unfortunate target, perhaps she could go and heal some of the injuries he had suffered as an apology.

She arrived to see Guiche talking to the familiar of Louise the Zero.

Now, Montmorency was also a second year, so she had to have seen the strange man the Valliere had summoned. She remembered the first time she saw him when the excess smoke from the circle dissipated. Donning an armored sleeveless coat, an exotic sword in one hand and arms as though carved from stone; it took all her strength to avoid letting out a squeal of delight. Finally, something worth watching.

But then the strange man had managed to incapacitate Professor Colbert and lie his way out of trouble. She _knew_ she saw that sword of his go through his shoulder. She's certain of it. But with no sign of scarring and/or blood on him or his clothes, there was no evidence to support her or her peer's claims.

So it came as no surprise to her when the commoner could easily bring down one of Guiche's Valkyries. They were the average sort of bronze golem most Earth mages used to accomplish menial tasks, so of course, they could not withstand a single blow from a sword.

But then, Guiche had summoned three more, this time armed.

And to her shock, the commoner had managed to strike down all three in less than three minutes. Montmorency knew then that this was no mere 'commoner'. She knew then that this man was trained. Experienced in the art of combat that no mere academy student could handle. The small blonde was no fool for she knew what an impossible thing was when it was presented to her. To fight this man and win now, for _any_ magic academy student regardless of talent was, most certainly _impossible._

Now, Montmorency could not believe herself as she ran through the castle halls to the dorms. She knew only one person that could possibly stop Guiche's executioner.

* * *

Saito leapt, his blade flashing, as he cut down another bronze doll. Yes, doll. To call these pathetic replicas of true earthen warriors golems would be similar to calling a newborn kitten a deadly tiger. It was an insult to the original bearer of the name and all those who practiced it. He refused to relate them to any golem, for they did not _deserve_ to be labeled as such.

_Far_ too great. He did not remember his body to be so light and energized. In all his years in combat, Saito did not recall moving so fast as to see the dolls slow down mid-motion. He also did not recall his movements to be so… _Smooth_. He could actually turn on his heel to block a sword strike and quickly compensate for the sudden increase of force without thinking. He could literally predict the motions of his opponents and the necessary movements need to evade them.

Not that he minded really, but this was a bit upsetting. Now Saito had to be careful when utilizing his abilities so that he did not become too reliant on this new power to help him in future battles.

Dismissing the thought, Saito returned his focus to the battle at hand, blocking a pike's thrust with an armored forearm and redirecting it into another doll. He flipped backwards, evading a stab from a doll's sword, and leapt onto an unsuspecting doll, climbing its front with a feline's unmatched agility until one foot and shin rested on its shoulders. His sword descended quickly, in rapid thrusts that bored countless holes in the doll's face and chest. It fell back and Saito crushed its head beneath his boot for good measure.

_That's two…_

Another bronze doll leapt at him from the side, axe raised. To his rear, the pike wielding doll made another thrust with its weapon. An assault from two fronts.

Saito smirked and spun. An armored forearm knocked the incoming pike away from him and towards the airborne doll. Steel rent steel as the pike skewered its unintended target and forced it into away from Saito, altering its trajectory. Saito wasted no time as he dashed into the bronze doll's guard and slammed his fist into its face, denting it inwards and sending the recipient flying into the crowd of students. Saito grinned when the damaged construct managed to pin one of the brats underneath its unmoving frame.

Saito's eyes dilated and he rolled away in time to evade a downward slash from the axe wielding doll, still functioning despite the pike that went through its side and back. The doll lunged and swung its weapon with wild abandon. Saito danced through the barrage of strikes with little care, smiling at the growing look of frustration on Guiche's face. It always made Saito's day to see that look on some arrogant mage that thought themselves to be better than their skills allowed them to be. With ridiculous ease, Saito ducked below another wild swing of the axe and slashed upwards with his sword, relieving the doll of its arm.

And the axe it held.

The metal limb flew in the air above Saito and his bronze opponent, which he introduced to his boot and sent to the ground. The limb halted its assent for a brief moment, drawing the attention of the gathered crowd that watched on in awe, and descended quickly. Tumbling in midair like a falling star or rock, Saito held out a hand without looking and caught the weapon by the handle, the severed limb of its former wielder still attached. The one armed bronze doll struggled to its feet and Saito spun the axe with one hand. The momentum of the spinning weapon placed inertia on the metallic limb, and it was eventually sent flying, with some degree of force, into the one armed doll's face. The force of the impact dented the metal and knocked it down. It didn't get back up

_Three…_

Two more dolls charged, one armed with a sword, the other a mace.

Saito leapt back, dodging a crushing hit from the mace wielding doll and raised his sword to parry a stab from the sword wielding doll. Saito raised the axe in his left hand and threw it at the mace wielding doll, smiling in satisfaction as it crumpled beneath the force of the thrown axe's impact. The black haired swordsman leaned away from a downward sword slash and cut off the hand holding the weapon at the wrist, sending both spinning away. The bronze doll recoiled at the loss of its hand and weapon, staggering backwards before Saito leapt upon it and lobbed its head off.

_Four and five…_

The remaining two dolls circled Saito, pikes held aloft. The swordsman ignored them, staring at Guiche with steely blue eyes and expressionless face. The boy stared back, his eyes filled with anger, hate and fear. His face twisted itself into what appeared to be a snarl, though Saito saw it as a grimace. Though the boy tried his best to hide it, he was scared.

And Saito knew it.

"You…" Guiche grit out. "You filthy commoner! _Die!_"

Both pike wielding dolls charged, weapons held ready. Both dolls closed in and thrust their arms forward, catching Saito in a pincer move intended to skewer him from two sides. The crowd gasped.

And Saito ducked.

The sharp steel points of both pikes grazed his armored coat, passed each other by mere _centimeters_ and continued their forward movement without pause, penetrating into and through the chests of the two dolls that had flanked him.

_Six and seven…_

Saito stood fully locked eyes with his target.

"N-no…" the blonde boy whimpers. "Y-y-you… That's… How?"

Saito says nothing, instead reversing his grip on his sword and smiling coldly.

"My turn." Is the young swordsman's only reply before he blurs in a burst of speed.

* * *

_How?_ Was the only thing Guiche could think of as he watched, in fascinated horror, as the commoner he had challenged decimated his golems. He blurred from one position to the next, bringing his sword and armored forearms to block and deflect attacks from his golems and reducing them to pieces in moments. Guiche felt cold fear grip his heart when he locked eyes with the commoner. Blue eyes, colder than anything he had seen before, seemed to gaze into the very core of his being. Unrelenting, unmoving and unfeeling.

_The eyes of an executioner…_

His golems fell one by one, until the remaining two had stabbed themselves with each other's pikes. For a moment, Guiche inwardly cursed at his stupidity. Outwardly though, he paled and started sweating.

"N-no…" he says, though it came out more like a whimper. "Y-y-you… That's… How?"

This wasn't happening. It wasn't possible; a _commoner_ holding his own against a noble? Had someone asked Guiche that same question yesterday, he would've laughed in their faces and tell them off for saying such a preposterous thing. No sword and shield, no matter how well made, could stand up against the magic possessed by nobility.

Now, though…

Guiche felt something heavy settle in the pit of his stomach as the commoner locked eyes with him and smiles. It was the coldest smile the boy had ever seen.

"My turn." the commoner said, and Guiche's heart races.

The commoner blurs into motion. Guiche recoils and backpedals. His foot snags into a rock on the ground and he falls onto his butt. The boy's eyes widen as an arc of silver flashes in the air, cutting off several strands of hair where his head had been. Before him, the commoner stands, hunched low and eyes locked onto his.

Guiche's hand tightens around his wand and he waves it in front of the commoner.

_"Earth Wall!" _he screams and the ground responds to his call, rising in an instant to knock the commoner back, or at least provide some breathing room to prepare for another spell.

But he was running low on Willpower, Guiche knew. His breaths were becoming more ragged and he could feel his skin begin to burn. Summoning and controlling seven bronze golems required a lot of Willpower to properly utilize in battle. Casting the _Earth Wall_ spell had taken a sizeable portion of his remaining reserves. He had just enough to cast another Earth spell or two, but afterwards…

_…this duel will not be declared over until one of the participants has died. Do you accept?_

Guiche felt his blood run cold. He did accept that condition, didn't he?

Something in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he saw the commoner at the top of the earthen barrier he had cast. With a feline's grace, he leapt down and resumed his dash towards the boy.

The boy raised his wand in a panic and brought it downwards in a slashing motion.

"_Earth Spikes!"_ he screamed. The ground trembled and spikes erupted from it, rushing forward to meet the threat head on. The commoner ceased his dash and _leapt_ upwards, gaining impressive height and evaded the oncoming wave of spikes. Guiche smirked at this, confidence returning. The fool was going to skewer himself now, as gravity would pull him back to the ground and the spikes would take care of the rest.

But that, and any sliver of confidence he had gained, was lost when the commoner twisted mid fall and lands atop one of the spike on his feet. How he managed to do that whilst keeping his feet safe from injury, Guiche would never know. His eyes widened in alarm, however, when the commoner continued his forward movement towards Guiche atop the spikes.

Guiche grit his teeth and summed up the last dredges of Willpower. He had one spell left to use and it will bring him victory.

"_Oh Earth below the skies, rise upward and pierce the Heavens above!"_ Guiche chanted and pointed his wand at his incoming opponent. "_Earth Tower!"_

The earth shook, cracked and _rose_. Like its name, a tower of earth raised itself from the ground and shot upwards at impressive speeds. This was a spell he had found whilst reading one of the many books on Earth Spells and the theory behind it. After uncovering the spell from the book, the boy set to work. In less than one week he had managed to cast his first earth tower in the forest outside of the academy, though it was a relatively short tower at first. Now, all he had to do was add more Willpower to it depending on how large a tower he wanted to make and presto! An enormous tower of earth!

Guiche had timed it perfectly so that the tower would rise from under the commoner and send him flying upwards and fall to his death.

The boy didn't expect his opponent to simply cut the earthen tower as it rose, though.

The tower of rock rose and the commoner brought his sword about. In a single mighty cleave, the rising tower was cut in half down the center. The students watched, amazed as tower of rock was split in two as it rose from the ground. Both halves tilted and leaned away from one another and fell to the ground in a mighty crash that shook the academy grounds. Miraculously, both towers were not long enough to make contact with the academy walls and no student had been caught under its shadow when it fell.

Now Guiche stood, Willpower reserves at their lowest, facing an opponent that had effortlessly cut apart his bronze Valkyries, cut through the strongest spell he had in his arsenal and did it all without breaking a sweat.

The commoner smiled coldly and strode forward.

Guiche, using the small amount of Willpower he had left, conjured a sword. Grabbing it, he charged, swinging the weapon wildly. This commoner had insulted him, survived his spells and was now preparing to finish the duel he had been challenged to.

Guiche's first swing hit empty air, as did his second and third swings. He thrust his sword forward to stab his opponent, who dodged under it. There was a flash of steel and something knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him tumbling to the ground. Guiche rose to a sitting position and stood. No matter, his sword will hit eventually! All he had to do was to bring up and-

Wait.

He can't feel his hand.

Guiche brought his right hand to his face, and saw only a bleeding stump where his hand was. His heart races and his breath quickens, blood spurting out from the wound and he clutches it with everything he has, damn the pain.

Guiche sees another blur and _feels_ his ribs breaking under the force of a powerful blow. He tumbles and the world begins to slow. Through a haze of panic, confusion and _cold fear_ he sees it. The glint of steel under the light of the sun.

The boy's eyes widen an he leans back, away from the blade, the object of his demise.

Pain blossoms on his face and his left eye sees black. He hears a sickening crunch and his right leg loses all feeling from the knee down. With one limb rendered useless, Guiche loses balance and tumbles down. His remaining eye focuses in time to see a boot land on his throat.

Pain. So much pain. He could not breathe, he could not move, he could not speak to beg for mercy. He could do nothing as the commoner stands above him, one foot on his neck. And for the first time in his life, Guiche de Gramont feels _true fear._

He could hear someone screaming, shouting something. He wanted to scream as well, to plead for his life, to be given a second chance to start anew. He was just a child and children made mistakes. _He could still change._

Guiche hears the whistle of steel cutting through air and his remaining eye sees a flash of silver, then-

_Oblivion._

**Chapter Five, End.**

_**A/N: Sorry I took some time to update. My family's been quite hectic lately. Too much arguing and too little love.**_

_**But anyway, the chapter is complete and I now have to plan and write chapter six! I have no love lost for Guiche. That fool was on my kill list the moment I first saw him on the series, courting Katie. That's it for the time being, but don't expect anything any time soon.**_

_**Thank you for reading and have a nice day.**_

_**Next Time:**_

_**Blood flows in the place of learning and the students lay scared of the mysterious commoner Saito. Louise and the school powers confront him on his true identity and abilities. But, as they will soon find out, perhaps some secrets are better left buried.**_


	6. Intermission: Homefront Concerns

_**Intermission: Homefront Concerns**_

The room was silent, the tension in the air almost palpable, as four people sat in plush chairs surrounding a table laden with maps, pieces of parchment, and books. To one side, a large burly man nibbled on crackers, an enormous cleaver as long as he was tall rested on the wall behind him. Flanking him was another, donning formalwear and spectacles, reading through a thick tome. Facing them both was a woman, with hair like a cascading silver waterfall, eyes as blue and warm as the summer sky. She sat demurely, nursing a warm cup of tea as her eyes settled on the painting hung behind the two men keeping her company.

The door to the room opens and three people walk in. One was a small girl, in her late teens, with blonde hair and red eyes. Following her closely was another woman, purple hair tied into a high ponytail with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. Trailing behind the two was a man, donning a vest with three pistols holstered on both sides of his body, his green eyes sharp and piercing like knives.

The three occupants of the room rose to their feet as soon as the small girl entered their field of vision, and remained standing until the girl seated herself at the table's head.

"Now, since everyone's here, I'd like to get this meeting started." The young blonde said. "Maxim, report."

The man previously reading the thick tome stood and adjusted his spectacles. "Your Highness," he began. "My informants from within and outside Brittania have searched everywhere and contacted everyone they could. It is still uncertain, but for now I can say that Saito Hiraga is not within the borders of the Alliance. I can further my contact's field of search, but that may take time. At least, two months."

"That's too long." The young ruler of Brittania said. "What of the civilian populace? Have they picked up anything relating to the incident?"

The bespectacled man shook his head. "None so far, though rumors are spreading. My sources estimate that, within a matter of weeks, word of Saito's disappearance may reach the ears of some of the noble families and when that happens, they _will_ come for answers. The ones with magic users will most likely be more vehement and more demanding."

"Can you do anything about that?" The silver haired woman asked.

"I could insert some of my agents to spread counter rumors and spread false information, of the good kind, I swear, and perhaps delay the incoming demands, but that's all I can do. Delay the inevitable."

The room's occupants fell into a pondering silence for a moment, then the young queen spoke again. "How long can you delay them?"

Maxim's brows furrowed and his face scrunched into a look of immense concentration. "I'm not certain. Perhaps two months, two and a half maybe?"

"That should be sufficient, I suppose." The young blonde nodded. "Amelia, how goes the analysis of the strange mana residue left behind in the area of Saito's disappearance?"

Maim sat back down and the woman with the red scarf stood. "Not as fast as we hoped. The preliminary tests have come back and the residual mana we found in the area matches none of the realms in the Alliance boundary. Not only that, a large portion of the residual mana was contaminated by other presences, so we only have a very small bit to work with."

"Is it enough for you to trace back to the source?"

"Perhaps." She crossed her arms under her chest. "But even if it is, tracking its source and opening a portal to it is a large undertaking. I can handle this matter personally, but even then it might take awhile. Three months, at best."

"And if the entire Magics Research Department aids you?" the young queen asked.

Amelia hummed in thought. "With their help, it may shorten the time needed to complete the analysis and tracking by a few more weeks. A month and a half even, if they dropped everything else and focused exclusively on this one task." The woman shrugged. "Once we complete the analysis and tracking of the mana signature's source, opening a portal there should be easy. But when we _do_ manage to open one, who knows what may be waiting for us on the other side?"

"But you _can_ open a portal to him, yes?" the large man asked.

Amelia scoffed and tossed her hair behind her as she sat back down. "Don't underestimate me, Khan. They don't call me the Crimson Caster for nothing."

"Anyway," the Brittanian ruler said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "The exercise begins in six days. We know Saito can't attend, so we'll have to make a plausible reason to explain his absence. Any ideas?"

"We could say he was sent on a mission." Maxim said, adjusting his glasses. "It's true, most of the time, and most of the people attending are well aware of Saito's vehemence in completing missions."

"_Most of the time_." Everyone else in the room said in unison. Maxim suddenly felt small.

"Maybe we could say that Saito is on another of his infamous waffle hunts." Amelia suggested. "And we all know how much that man _loves_ his waffles."

Murmurs of agreement filled the room. Then Lucius sighed.

"It won't do." The man said. "Though he does love his waffles, Saito would never miss an opportunity to see and evaluate combat. It's not in his nature."

"Or perhaps, we should speak the truth and tell our allies of what has befallen our dear leader." The silver haired woman chimed in. "For all Saito is as a hero, he is just another mortal man. And mortal men do fall sometimes."

"If we do that, we admit to the other nations that we're incapable of defending the most important person in the Alliance. Even behind the most heavily protected castle in the Five Realms." Lucius said. "We would lose our credibility, our honor as a military force and scare the other nations into leaving the Alliance." His expression softened. "I know lying is against the way of your people Reila, but sometimes lies are necessary. We stand to lose too much if we were to tell the truth."

"And how can you be certain of that?" the woman laid her hands upon the table and narrowed her eyes at the man. "Saito aided the other nations in the past and for his deeds, they are indebted to him. Should he ask, the entire military might of the Alliance would be prepared to fight for him. You know this, Lucius, you are the closest person he has to a brother." She panned her eyes across the occupants of the table. "He led us to their aid in their time of need. We have shown that we are strong enough to help, but we all know that even the strongest of people cannot accomplish anything alone. My people know this better than anyone else."

"…But even so," Lucius said.

"I am merely suggesting." Reila cut him off, nursing her tea. "Little Sarina here has the final say."

Everyone in attendance turned to the young blond as one, awaiting her decision. The young queen herself, sat quiet. Her face contemplative as she ran countless scenarios through her mind. A minute of silence dragged on to two, then three, until the young queen sighed and stood.

"Very well. Amelia Everhart." The woman in question stiffened. "I will give you complete command over the project to find a way to return Saito Hiraga back to Brittania." She nodded

"Maxim LaCross, you are to focus all your intelligence assets towards finding the whereabouts of Saito Hiraga. Should you find nothing else that may aid Amelia or her subordinates in their efforts, you are to resume your duties and find information regarding the enemies of the Alliance." The man nodded his assent.

"Reila Nora, you are to operate in tandem with Lucius Amhein in your efforts to inform the other Alliance nations of Saito Hiraga's disappearance, but note that the exchange must be of the utmost secrecy. No one other than the ones you are to talk to and those in importance should know." The two nodded stiffly.

"Khan Morenz, you are to temporarily assume command of Saito Hiraga's Mage Hunter Unit and continue the investigation and termination of illegal mage activity and anything related to it." The man nodded, barely able to suppress his smile.

"Until I am personally informed of Saito Hiraga's return, I, Sarina Belle de Brittania, Queen of Brittania and leader of the Alliance of Sovereign Nation, hereby command you all to assume your newly appointed positions effective immediately." Sarina crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the people present. "Now, let's bring my brother home."

_**Intermission End**_


End file.
